[Alcoholic dementia and divalent ions: derangement of calcium-homeostasis].

We proposed a hypothesis of disintegrated Ca-homeostasis underlying chronic alcoholism from our clinical viewpoints, and we suggest that the clinical features of alcoholism result from hypocalcemia or hypocalcemia induced by hypomagnesemia. Since the alcoholism brings on the divergent symptoms and signs, various diagnoses are made even for one patient, such as hypertension, cardiomyopathy, hepatitis, pancreatitis, Parkinsonian syndrome, neuropathy, muscle atrophy, epilepsy and osteoporosis. We speculate that these pathological conditions could be interpreted unitarily and systematically by hypothesis of Ca-abnormality.