Alcoholism (now formally termed alcohol use disorder) is diagnosed in approximately 10% of adult males and 3% to 5% of adult females in the United States.
Short on Time? Get Expert Nursing Help
Our nursing writers can handle your essay, care plan or case study from start to finish.
The national cost of alcoholism, in terms of lost productivity and direct medical costs, is approximately $250 billion per year.
More than 100 studies show that this disease clusters in families.
The risk of developing alcoholism among individuals depends on different factors.
With one affected parent the risk is three to five times higher than for those with unaffected parents.
Twin studies have yielded concordance rates for DZ twins less than 30% and concordance rates for MZ twins more than 60%.
Adoption studies show that the offspring of an alcoholic parent, even when raised by nonalcoholic parents, have a fourfold increased risk of developing the disorder.
To control for possible prenatal effects in an alcoholic mother, some studies included only the offspring of alcoholic fathers.
The results have remained the same.
One study showed that the offspring of nonalcoholic parents, when reared by alcoholics, did not have an increased risk of developing alcoholism.
The table lists the genetic variants that increase the risk of some people to alcoholism.
Genes
Description
Allele of ALDH2
An individual’s physiologic response to alcohol can be influenced by variation in the key enzymes responsible for alcohol metabolism.
Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs), which convert ethanol to acetaldehyde.
Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs), which convert acetaldehyde to acetate.
An allele of the ALDH2 gene (ALDH2*2) results in excessive accumulation of acetaldehyde and thus in facial flushing, nausea, palpitations, and lightheadedness.
Due to these unpleasant effects, individuals who have the ALDH2*2 allele are much less likely to become alcoholics.
This “protective” allele is common in some Asian populations but is rare in other populations.
Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)
Genes that encode components of GABA receptors.
This finding is biologically plausible, because the GABA neurotransmitter system inhibits excitatory signals in neurons, exerting a calming effect.
Alcohol is shown to increase GABA release, and allelic variation in GABA receptor genes modulate this effect.
It is underscored that genes increase one’s susceptibility to alcoholism. It is a disease that requires an environmental component, regardless of genetic constitution.
