Long-term alcohol abuse

Long-term alcohol abuse has harmful effects on many of the organ systems of the body (Tenth, 2000; Perkins, 1992). The organ systems most affected by alcohol are the liver, the immune system, the cardiovascular system, and the skeletal system, but other systems are also affected. Alcohol works in three ways to cause damage to the body: by reducing food intake, alcohol consumption leads to poor nutrition; toxic breakdown products of alcohol in the body can damage cells and tissues; and the constant presence of alcohol in the body can result in dangerous changes to the body's chemistry (Perkins, 1992, 21).

Alcohol contains no nutritional ingredients, and so long-term alcohol intake, and its concomitant lowered food intake lead to starvation (Perkins, 1992, 22). Alcohol interferes with the way the body uses vitamins and minerals, and chronic alcohol abuse leads to chronic malnutrition. Alcohol abusers suffer from a deficiency in folic acid, which is needed for protein synthesis and cell development, and a deficiency of which can cause a type of anemia; zinc deficiency, which results in a failure to grow, delayed healing, hair loss, skin changes, a decreased sense of taste, and mental disturbances; and thiamine deficiency, which can lead to Beriberi, which affects the nervous and cardiovascular systems. However, a study by Wannamethee and Shaper (2003) showed that heavy drinking contributed significantly to weight gain and obesity in middle-aged men, irrespective of the

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lammation, and the resultant chronic production of cytokines, leads to cell death. Cytokine production can be stimulated by endotoxin from bacteria, and continued drinking of alcohol facilitates the passage of endotoxin through the intestinal wall to the bloodstream (Tenth, 2000, 27). Kupffer cells in the liver respond to the endotoxin by producing cytokines, further increasing intestinal permeability, and perpetuating the cycle. Reactive oxygen species, which are toxic byproducts of alcohol degradation in the liver, also stimulate cytokine production. If these molecules cannot be readily inactivated by antioxidants, they can produce cell damage. Alcoholic hepatitis also produces chronic inflammation. Cytokine-induced scarring in the liver leads to cirrhosis, as more and more functional tissue is lost. People who chronically abuse alcohol suffer from an increased susceptibility to bacterial pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, and hepatitis C (Tenth, 2000, 28). Hepatitis C is the leading cause for liver transplantation in the United States. Heavy alcohol consumption may increase the risk of HIV infection. Studies in animals suggest that alcohol impairs the function of monocytes and may reduce the number of immune cells

Category: Medical - L