Adverse physical effects of alcohol misuse

Barclay, Gillian; Barbour, Jack; Stewart, Stephen; Day, Christopher P.; Gilvarry, Éilish

doi:10.1192/apt.bp.105.001263

Cited by 31 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The well‐known fact that alcohol promotes Mg 2+ excretion also may play a role in lowering of the convulsive threshold (Brennan & Lyttle, 1987). Other alcohol‐induced metabolic changes that may trigger seizures are hypoglycemia and a decrease of the calcium level in the blood (Rathlev et al., 2006; Barclay et al., 2008). Although metabolic and neurotransmitter changes are clear and direct causes of seizures occurrences, they are reversible and, therefore, cannot explain the pathogenesis of epilepsy as an independent disease.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alcohol consumption, unprovoked seizures, and epilepsy: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

et al. 2010

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SUMMARYPurpose: The purpose of this research was to analyze and quantify the association between alcohol consumption and epilepsy as an independent disease, in part operationalized by the occurrence of unprovoked seizures, as well as to examine causality. Methods: Systematic review, meta-analysis. Results: A strong and consistent association between alcohol consumption and epilepsy/unprovoked seizures was found with an overall relative risk (RR) of 2.19 [95% % confidence interval (CI) 1.83-2.63]. There was a doseresponse relationship between the amount of alcohol consumed daily and the probability of the onset of epilepsy. Individuals consuming an average of four, six, and eight drinks daily had RRs of 1.81 (95% % CI 1.59-2.07), 2.44 (95% % CI 2.00-2.97), and 3.27 (95% % CI 2.52-4.26), respectively, compared to nondrinkers. Several pathogenic mechanisms for the development of epilepsy in alcohol users were identified. Most of the relevant studies found that a high percentage of alcohol users with epilepsy would qualify for the criteria of alcohol dependence. Data were inconclusive regarding a threshold for the effect of alcohol, but most studies suggest that the effect may only hold for heavy drinking (four and more drinks daily). Discussion: The relationship between alcohol consumption and epilepsy and unprovoked seizures was quantified and several pathogenic mechanisms were suggested, although none of them has been proven to be the unique causative pathway for epilepsy. Certain limitations underlying this study require further research to clarify the outstanding statistical issues and pathogenesis of epilepsy in heavy drinkers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alcohol consumption, unprovoked seizures, and epilepsy: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

et al. 2010

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“…Epileptogenesis in heavy alcohol users may also be explained by cerebral atrophy [98]. Additional hypothesized causes of epilepsy in alcohol users include cerebrovascular infarctions, lesions, head traumas (from alcoholattributable injuries) and changes in neurotransmitter systems and ionic imbalances leading to the onset of seizures [98][99][100][101]. Our analyses indicated that the strongest evidence was for the 'kindling' hypothesis for cerebral atrophy and for brain lesions each linking direct irreversible central nervous system (CNS) changes to alcohol consumption, leading potentially to the onset of epilepsy or spontaneous seizures not related immediately to alcohol intake.…”

Section: Epilepsymentioning

confidence: 99%

The relation between different dimensions of alcohol consumption and burden of disease: an overview

Rehm

Baliunas

Borges³

et al. 2010

Addiction

930

815

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AIMS As part of a larger study to estimate the global burden of disease and injury attributable to alcohol: To evaluate the evidence for a causal impact of average volume of alcohol consumption and pattern of drinking on diseases and injuries;To quantify relationships identified as causal based on published meta-analyses;To separate the impact on mortality vs. morbidity where possible; andTo assess the impact of the quality of alcohol on burden of disease. METHODS Systematic literature reviews were used to identify alcohol-related diseases, birth complications and injuries using standard epidemiologic criteria to determine causality. The extent of the risk relations was taken from meta-analyses. RESULTS Evidence of a causal impact of average volume of alcohol consumption was found for the following major diseases: tuberculosis, mouth, nasopharynx, other pharynx and oropharynx cancer, oesophageal cancer, colon and rectum cancer, liver cancer, female breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, alcohol use disorders, unipolar depressive disorders, epilepsy, hypertensive heart disease, ischaemic heart disease (IHD), ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke, conduction disorders and other dysrhythmias, lower respiratory infections (pneumonia), cirrhosis of the liver, preterm birth complications, foetal alcohol syndrome. Dose-response relationships could be quantified for all disease categories except for depressive disorders, with the relative risk increasing with increased level of alcohol consumption for most diseases. Both average volume and drinking pattern were causally linked to IHD, foetal alcohol syndrome, and unintentional and intentional injuries. For IHD, ischaemic stroke and diabetes mellitus beneficial effects were observed for patterns of light to moderate drinking without heavy drinking occasions (as defined by 60+ grams pure alcohol per day). For several disease and injury categories, the effects were stronger on mortality compared to morbidity. There was insufficient evidence to establish whether quality of alcohol had a major impact on disease burden. CONCLUSIONS Overall, these findings indicate that alcohol causally impacts many disease outcomes, both chronic and acute, and injuries. In addition, a pattern of heavy episodic drinking increases risk for some disease and all injury outcomes. Future studies need to address a number of methodological issues, especially the differential role of average volume versus drinking pattern, in order to obtain more accurate risk estimates and to better understand the nature of alcohol-disease relationships.

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“…Heavy alcohol consumption has multiple negative consequences for people with epilepsy such as precipitation of seizure, exacerbation of seizure, worsening of seizure control, increased side effects of antiepileptic drugs, noncompliance to antiepileptic drugs, alcohol withdrawal seizures, long-term hospital admission, status epilepticus (9%–25%), sudden unexpected death, and premature mortality 12,15–17…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although it is commonly perceived that patients with epilepsy experience problems with seizure control if they use alcohol, this is not confirmed by the few experimental studies that have tested the hypothesis. The mechanisms by which the long-term neurotoxic effects of alcohol lead to chronic epilepsy also need further studies 17,18…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of alcohol use disorders and associated factors among people with epilepsy attending Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Waja

Ebrahim

Yohannis

et al. 2016

NDT

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IntroductionAlcohol use disorders represent one of the leading causes of preventable death, illness, and injury in many societies throughout the world. Heavy alcohol consumption has multiple negative consequences for people with epilepsy such as precipitation of seizure, exacerbation of seizure, poor seizure control, increased side effects of antiepileptic drugs, noncompliance to antiepileptic drugs, alcohol withdrawal seizures, long-term hospital admission, status epilepticus, sudden unexpected death, and premature mortality.MethodsAn institution-based cross sectional study was conducted from April 15, 2014 to May 15, 2014 with the aim of assessing prevalence of alcohol use disorders and associated factors among people with epilepsy attending Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A total of 413 randomly selected epileptic patients were included in this study. Data were structured using the 10-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 20. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to study the association, and variables with P-value <0.05 were considered as having a statistically significant association at 95% confidence interval.ResultsA total of 423 study participants were selected, of whom 413 completely filled the questionnaire making the response rate 97.6%. The mean age of the respondents was 31.9 years with standard deviation of ±10.97, and 248 (60%) were males. The prevalence of alcohol use disorder was 17.4%. Educational status (grade 9–12) (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =3.25, [1.21, 8.69]), not living with family members (AOR =1.89, [1.06, 3.39]), availability of house (AOR =2.04, [1.10, 3.78]), taking carbamazepine (AOR =2.38, [1.13, 5.01]), and drinking alcohol to find relief from stress (AOR =4.28, [1.89, 9.67]) were significantly associated with alcohol use disorder among people with epilepsy.Conclusion and recommendationThe findings of this study revealed that the prevalence of alcohol use disorder among people with epilepsy was high. Routine screening of epileptic patients with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test is recommended.

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Adverse physical effects of alcohol misuse

Cited by 31 publications

References 45 publications

Alcohol consumption, unprovoked seizures, and epilepsy: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Alcohol consumption, unprovoked seizures, and epilepsy: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

The relation between different dimensions of alcohol consumption and burden of disease: an overview

Prevalence of alcohol use disorders and associated factors among people with epilepsy attending Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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