[Polythelia in alcoholics. Preliminary report].
We present a study comparing 650 alcoholics with 1074 patients with miscellaneous other psychiatric (665) and medical (409) diagnoses for the frequency of supernumerary nipples (SN). Also 716 adolescents and school-children in a general medical screening were investigated for this phenomenon. In alcoholics SN were found in over 6%, in the non-alcoholic group in approximately 1%. The latter figure correlates well with other findings in literature, 6% being significantly higher. In the group of adolescents/children (1,8-3,2%) polythelia correlates with familial alcoholism, albeit of the father. As polythelia may be part of fetal alcohol-syndrome, the addiction should be expected on the mother's side, the more so, as the local rate of female/male alcoholism is approximately 1:3 (administrative incidence). We suggest that polythelia may be more frequent among alcoholics. Apart from SN occurring in alcoholic embryopathy, alcoholism of the father may be an additional factor for their development. Polythelia may in certain cases offer a diagnostic clue not only for mammo-renal syndromes but also for individual or familial alcoholism.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications; D001940:Breast / Q000002:abnormalities*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics; D009558:Nipples; D011247:Pregnancy
Polythelie bei Alkoholkranken. (Vorläufige Mitteilung).