Apart from acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), alcoholism is probably the leading cause of thrombocytopenia. However patients generally do not exhibit manifestations of excessive bleeding. Alcohol-related thrombocytopenia is usually transient, and platelet counts generally return to normal within 1 week of abstinence. The exact mechanisms underlying alcohol-related thrombocytopenia remain unknown. Some researchers have suggested that alcohol intoxication itself, rather than alcohol-related nutritional deficiencies, causes the decrease in platelet numbers. This view is supported by findings that thrombocytopenia developed in healthy subjects who received a diet containing adequate protein and vitamin levels, including large doses of folic acid, and consumed the equivalent of 1.5 pints (i.e., 745 mL) of 86-proof whiskey for at least 10 days.