WAIS functioning of cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic alcoholics

Abstract

This study was done to determine whether the cognitive dysfunction often found in chronic alcoholics would be greater for alcoholics with Laennec's cirrhosis than for alcoholics without cirrhosis. It was hypothesized that cirrhotic alcoholics would score lower than non-cirrhotic alcoholics, who in turn would score lower than non-alcoholic, non-cirrhotic controls on (1) WAIS Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ; (2) scaled score configuration; and (3) the Wechsler Deterioration Quotient. The WAIS was administered in a Veterans Administration Center to 60 Caucasian male patients aged 35-64 who had been assigned to one of the three groups (N = 20 per group). No differences were found among groups on age, education, or the Information and Vocabulary subtests (p greater than .05). Significant differences (p less than .05) were found on Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ, the remaining nine subtests, and the Deterioration Quotient. A stepwise discriminate function analysis substantiated these differences. It was concluded that Laennec's cirrhosis is a physical condition that negatively affects intellectual functioning in alcoholics.

Subclinical Hepatic Encephalopathy in Cirrhotic Patients: Prevalence and Relationship to Liver Function

“…Its prevalence is va riable depend ing on the ratient population and on the battery of tests used to detect it. It is now estahl ished that subclinical hepatic cncephalorarhy may occur in both alcoholic and nonalcoholic cirrhotic patients (2)(3)(4)(5)(6). However, the relationship between neuropsycho logical imra irment and li ver function is still controversial (2, ' 3 ).…”

“…This stud y also Jemonstratcs that subclinical hepatic encephalopa thy occurs in alcoho lics as well as nonalcoholics, whic h confirms results obtained by other groups in recen t years (2)(3)(4)(5)(6). This finding demonstrates that liver Jisease per se may induce alterations in n europsychological performance.…”

Personality, Cognitive, and Neuropsychological Correlates of Harmful Alcohol Consumption: A Cross‐National Comparison of Clinical Samples

“…To what extent is this pattern consistent with other reported WAIS profiles of alcoholics? One directly comparable investigation using the entire WAIS with a sample of U.S. alcoholics was reported by Smith and Smith (1977). These investigators found deficits among alcoholics relative to controls on both VIQ and PIQ and on all sub- scales except Information and Vocabulary (the only two subscales also found to be without deficit in both of our own studies).…”

Cognitive deficits related to major organ failure: The potential role of neuropsychological testing

“…In studies comparing alcoholics with and without cirrhosis, cirrhotic alcoholics have been found to be worse than noncirrhotic alcoholics on various neuropsychological measures (Gilberstadt et aL, 1980;Smith and Smith, 1977). Cirrhotic alcoholics and cirrhotic nonalcoholics were found to be similarly impaired, and worse than alcoholics without cirrhosis, on various neuropsychological tasks (Rehnstr6m et aL, 1977).…”