A Follow‐Up Study on Chromosomal Aberrations in Lymphocytes of Alcoholics During Early, Medium, and Long‐Term Abstinence

Abstract

The frequencies of structural chromosomal aberrations were analyzed in peripheral blood lymphocytes of 31 chronic alcoholics at the beginning of an intensive outpatient treatment program at a neuropsychiatric clinic and were compared with 31 controls matched for gender, age, smoking habits, and nondrinkers. A statistically significant difference was observed in the level of chromosomal aberrations in somatic cells from alcoholics when compared with controls (3.01% vs. 1.28%, p < or = 0.001). A follow-up study was carried out for a subset of the patients after 3 months (8 subjects) and 12 months (14 subjects) of controlled abstinence. A statistically significant increase in the mean frequency of cells with aberrations was observed in the group of 14 subjects reinvestigated after 12 months of abstinence when compared with the mean value of the first blood samples immediately after hospitalization (4.61% vs. 3.01%; p < or = 0.001). An excessive increase in cigarette consumption during alcohol abstinence, reflected by a dramatic elevation of CO-hemoglobin levels, may, at least in part, account for this finding. In conclusion, chronic alcoholism leads to genotoxic effects that, instead of recovering after 1 year of alcohol abstinence, are even enhanced, most likely due to the "shift in addictive behavior."

De novo malignancies after liver transplantation: A major cause of late death

“…Although there are many reports of PTLD in LT populations, there are no reports of increased mortality caused by PTLD in liver transplant recipients with ALD. Ethanol has been reported to increase karotypic chromosomal aberrations 51,52 ; expression of TGF-␤ in a variety of cells, including macrophages 53 and liver cells 54 ; and suppression of immunity toward cancer and infections in experimental models. 55,56 This potential enhancement of cancer susceptibility in patients with ALD who underwent LT was also noted in other de novo cancers, with rates of oropharyngeal and lung cancers 25.5 and 3.7 times greater in the ALD group compared with the general population matched for age, sex, and length of follow-up using SEER data, respectively.…”

Zur Rolle der Therapeutenrotation und von Patientenmerkmalen für die Wirksamkeitsprozesse der Ambulanten Langzeit-Intensivtherapie für Alkoholkranke (ALITA)

“…das Stress-System, die Regulierung von Sexualhormonen, sowie die Elektrolyt-und Wasserhomöostase bei abstinenten schwer alkoholabhängigen Patienten langfristig gestört sind. Zur Regeneration kommt es erst nach drei bis neun Monaten, und manche Störungen scheinen sogar chronisch zu persistieren Hasselblatt et al 2001;Hasselblatt et al 2003;Hüttner et al 1999;Schmitt et al 1999).…”

Prädiktion von Therapieerfolg und Verlauf psychiatrischer Komorbidität bei prognostisch benachteiligten Alkoholkranken

“…In den biologischen Begleitstudien konnte zusammengefasst gezeigt werden, dass wesentliche psychobiologische Systeme bei schwer Alkoholkranken sich nur langsam erholen und zum Teil chronisch gestört bleiben (Ehrenreich et al, 1997b;Hasselblatt et al, 2001;Hasselblatt et al, 2003;Hüttner et al, 1999;Schmitt et al, 1999). Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht die psychischen Korrelate der langfristigen Regeneration bzw.…”