Alcoholism-induced bone necrosis.

A total of 164 patients with alcoholism-induced osteonecrosis were seen over a 22-year period, from 1962 to 1984. Twenty-three percent of patients were female and 30.5% were black. The average duration of alcohol abuse was 9.5 years, ranging from 8 to 20 years. The presence of femoral head necrosis was diagnosed in patients aged 21-67 years; 28% of patients were under 40 years of age and 76% were under 50 years. Bilateral hip necrosis was present in 44.5% of patients and, within three years of the diagnosis of FHN, the presence of multifocal necrosis became evident in 23 cases at sites away from the hip (shoulders and knees). Hyperlipidemia was found in 38.4% of cases, involving both cholesterol and triglycerides. Serum amylase was elevated in 33 patients; liver dysfunction was present in 50; hepatomegaly was found in 32; and biopsy-confirmed cirrhosis was present in 22 cases. Hyperuricemia was found in 22 patients, some of whom had received steroids. Disabling hip pain was the first manifestation of disability related to alcohol abuse in 158 patients, most of whom required total hip joint replacement. This study supports the hypothesis that alcoholism-induced bone necrosis is caused by fat embolism linked to co-existent hyperlipidemia. The treatment of hyperlipidemia by dietary means or lipotropic medication and the cessation of alcohol abuse is advised. Multi-center studies employing such treatment should provide evidence of its effect on the evolution of necrosis as well as the incidence of bilateral hip femoral head necrosis and multifocal lesions.