Alcoholism: A Multi-Systemic Cellular Insult to Organs

Abstract

Alcohol abuse can affect more than the heart and the liver. Many observers often do not appreciate the complex and differing aspects of alcohol’s effects in pathophysiologies that have been reported in multiple organs. Chronic alcohol abuse is known to be associated with pathophysiological changes that often result in life-threatening clinical outcomes, e.g., breast and colon cancer, pancreatic disease, cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, kidney disease, immune system dysfunction, hypertension, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, and can be as far-reaching as to cause central nervous system disorders. In this review article, we will discuss the various organs impacted by alcohol abuse. The lack of clear guidelines on the amount and frequency of alcohol intake, complicated by personal demographics, make extrapolations to real-life practices at best difficult for public health policy-makers.

The Effects of Ethanol on the Heart: Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy

“…Along with developing heart damage, patients with ACM may also damage other organs, such as the liver, central and peripheral nervous system, skeletal muscle, pancreas, and digestive tract, and are exposed to an increased risk of cancer [24,63,64]. In fact, ACM is related to systemic damage induced by ethanol misuse and its global biological response [10,11,31].…”

“…One of the characteristics that makes ethanol harmful is its systemic toxic effect on the human body [10,11]. It has been described as having some kind of effect in all human body organs either in acute or chronic consumption [11,12].…”

“…It has been described as having some kind of effect in all human body organs either in acute or chronic consumption [11,12]. The liver is the most affected organ, since ethanol is mostly metabolized there [11,13], but gastrointestinal, central, and peripheral nervous systems; the heart and vascular system; endocrinological systems; nutrition; and musculo-skeletal systems are clearly affected [10]. In addition, ethanol is an immunosuppressive drug that is pro-inflammatory and pro-oncogenic [14][15][16][17].…”

Evaluation of the Use of an Inorganic Bone Matrix in the Repair of Bone Defects in Rats Submitted to Experimental Alcoholism

“…The growing increase in chronic alcohol consumption in the last decades has encouraged the development of numerous researches in the medical and dental areas to alleviate the deleterious effects of ethanol on bone loss due to osteoporotic conditions or with difficulty in consolidating extensive bone defects [13,14].…”

Rasio AST/ALT pada Laki-Laki Pengkonsumsi Alkohol di Jalan Mendawai Kota Palangka Raya

“…Penyalahgunaan alkohol telah dikaitkan dengan bahaya kesehatan termasuk risiko berbagai penyakit, kesehatan mental, kecelakaan dan disfungsi sosial (WHO, 2018). Penyalahgunaan alcohol kronis dapat menyebabkan penyakit multisistemik dan juga perubahan patofisiologis pada sebagian besar organ, misalnya, sirosis hati, kanker payudara pada wanita, kanker kolon, penyakit ginjal, penyakit pancreas, diabetes, defisiensi system imun, osteoporosis, gangguan pencernaan, hipertensi, penyakit jantung, artritis, dan gangguan system saraf pusat (Dguzeh et al, 2018).…”