Liver alcohol consumption

HCV transmission is primarily through exposure to infected blood. Most patients do not show symptoms acutely after infection, and approximately 15% will clear the infection. The remaining 85% will be chronically infected. Of those chronically infected, about 20% will develop cirrhosis of the liver. Alcohol consumption, coinfection with hepatitis B and/or HIV, older age at time of infection, and male gender are factors that increase the risk for progressive liver disease. HCV accounts for about one third of hepatocellular carcinoma cases in the United States. 

Lifestyle modifications can limit disease complications and slow further liver damage. Avoidance of additional hepatic insult is critical for successful cirrhosis treatment. The only proven treatment for alcoholic liver disease is the immediate cessation of alcohol consumption. Patients who have cirrhosis from etiologies other than alcoholic liver disease should also abstain from alcohol consumption to prevent further liver damage. 

In adults, a study of 75 autopsies of persons who had resided in a soft-water, leached soil region of North Carolina found a positive correlation between lead level in the aorta and death from heart-related disease (Voors et al. 1982). The association persisted after adjustment for the effect of age. A similar correlation was found between cadmium levels in the liver and death from heart-related disease. (Aortic lead and liver cadmium levels were considered to be suitable indices of exposure.) The effects of the two metals appeared to be additive. Potential confounding variables other than age were not included in the analysis. The investigators stated that fatty liver (indicative of alcohol consumption) and cigarette smoking did not account for the correlations between lead, cadmium and heart-disease death. 

The problems of alcohol dependence and alcoholism are dealt with in Chapter 10. Suffice it to say here that problem drinkers risk numerous psychological problems, such as anxiety and depression, and may experience physical withdrawal symptoms. There are also numerous medical problems related to heavy, chronic alcohol consumption these include increased risk of coronary heart disease, liver cirrhosis, impotence and infertility, cancer and stroke (Chapter 10). It is estimated that alcohol plays a part in up to 33,000 deaths per year in the UK (DoH, 2001). Within the last year 1 in 4 adults will have experienced loss of memory following an alcoholic binge, injured themselves or... 

There are many pathological effects of excessive alcohol consumption. The most important are neuronal and gonadal dysfunction, hypoglycaemia, fatty liver , and hepatitis, which can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver. 

Death. There are some data to suggest that lethality may be a public health concern for persons exposed for prolonged periods of time to high levels of 1,4-dichlorobenzene in confined areas (e.g., in homes). The only available information related to the death of humans exposed to 1,4-dichlorobenzene is a case study of a 60-year-old man and his wife who both died of liver ailments after the air in their home had been found to contain increased air concentrations of 1,4-dichlorobenzene (described as saturated ) for 3-4 months (Cotter 1953). However, the exact air concentration of 1,4-dichlorobenzene was not measured or reported, nor was the existence or nature of other possible factors contributing to their deaths (e.g., pattern of alcohol consumption, exposure to other chemicals, or pre-existing medical... 

The terms acute and chronic are also used to characterize the time delay between exposure and the onset of symptoms. Acute effects are those noticed directly following exposure and are usually easily related to the agent. The chronic or long-term effects of an agent may occur years later and are often very difficult to attribute to a particular cause. The acute effects of alcohol consumption or exposure to the solvent in glue are obvious in the drunkenness produced. The effects of chronic exposure to these compounds, as seen by an alcoholic, are very different specifically, cirrhosis of the liver. The chronic effect of childhood lead exposure... 

Two studies were located that reported the occurrence of liver cancer in humans exposed to carbon tetrachloride fumes, both acutely (Tracey and Sherlock 1968) and for longer periods (Johnstone 1948). In the former case, a male died of hepatocellular carcinoma 7 years after acute intoxication with carbon tetrachloride at an age of 59, although he had a history of moderate alcohol consumption (without demonstrable liver cirrhosis). In the second case, a 30- year-old female died of "liver cancer" after 2-3 years of occupational exposure to carbon tetrachloride that was sufficient to produce signs of intoxication. However, this evidence is much too sparse to establish a cause-and-effect relationship. 

Conversely, certain drugs modify the effectiveness or side effects of aspirin. Phenobarbital, occasionally used for seizures, induces liver enzymes that increase the metabolism and excretion of aspirin, (3-adrenoceptorblocking drugs, such as propranolol, and decrease the antiinflammatory effects of aspirin, whereas reserpine decreases its analgesic effects. Antacids decrease the absorption of aspirin. Alcohol consumption in combination with aspirin increases the latter s ulcerogenic effects. 

Drinking on a regular basis for several weeks to months can induce CYP enzymes, resulting in a lower TCA plasma concentration. Thus, subacute and subchronic alcohol consumption induces liver enzymes and causes lower plasma levels of drugs that undergo oxidative biotransformation as a necessary step in their elimination. 

Chronic consumption of large amounts of alcohol is associated with an increased risk of death. Deaths linked to alcohol consumption are caused by liver disease, cancer, accidents, and suicide. 

Ethanol, also known simply as alcohol, is by far the most widely used depressant. Its structure is shown in Figure 14.34. In the United States, about a third of the population, or about 100 million people, drink alcohol. It is well established that alcohol consumption leads to about 150,000 deaths each year in the United States. The causes of these deaths are overdoses of alcohol alone, overdoses of alcohol combined with other depressants, alcohol-induced violent crime, cirrhosis of the liver, and alcohol-related traffic accidents. 

EH25. Ethanol Affects Blood Glucose Levels The consumption of alcohol (ethanol), especially after peri- ods of strenuous activity or after not eating for several hours, results in a deficiency of glucose in the blood, a condition known as hypoglycemia. The first step in the metabolism of ethanol by the liver is oxidation to acetaldehyde, catalyzed by liver alcohol dehydrogenase ... 

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