alcoholism (includes binge drinking)
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Classification
- classified as a mood disorder in DSM IV
- binge drinking is defined as >= 5 drinks during a single occasion for men & >=4 drinks during a single occasion for women[22]
Etiology
- risk factors
- bereavement
- other losses (diminished mobility, social network, income)
- previous history of substance abuse
- comorbid psychiatric disorders
- family history of alcohol problems
- comcommitant substance abuse (tobacco, psychoactive prescription drugs)
- genetic susceptibility to alcoholism (see genetics below)
- marriage to a person without alcohol use disorder is a negative risk factor[25]
Epidemiology
- 10-20% of men & 3-10% of women develop pervasive & perisistent problems with alcohol
- most alcoholics have a family & a job
- 5% of alcoholics are homeless
- 1% of pregnant women binge drink[13]
- binge drinking highest among adolescents who drink[24]
Genetics
- susceptibility to alcoholism associated with
- genetic variant in KLB (beta-klotho) appear to confer appetite for alchohol[29] (also see Comparative biology section below)
Clinical manifestations
(evaluation)
- CAGE questions
- 2 question screen
- Have you ever had a drinking problem?
- When was your last drink? (+ response is within last 24 h)
- single-question screening for alcohol abuse
- others (see screening for alcohol abuse)
- alcohol abuse
- failure to fulfill major role obligations
- use in hazardous situations
- legal problems
- social or interpersonal problems
- poor academic performance
- headaches, nausea, memory impairment, elevated blood pressure[39]
- alcohol dependence
- tolerance & withdrawal
- see addiction
- repeated trauma
Laboratory
- blood alcohol level, other laboratory findings non-specific
- serum iron levels may be increased (but decrease 1-3 weeks after cessation of alcohol)
- complete blood count (CBC) (MCV > 91 fL)
- elevated serum transaminases, AST > ALT (> 2-fold)
- serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) > 30 U/L
- serum uric acid > 7.0 mg/dL
- increased serum beta-2 transferrin
- serum triglycerides > 180 mg/dL
- abnormal serum electrolytes
- diminished serum Na+, serum K+, serum Mg+2, serum Ca+2, serum phosphate
- ethyl glucuronide in specimen
- ethyl glucuronide in urine assesses alcohol consumption within the past 3 days
- ethyl glucuronide in hair assesses alcohol consumption within the past 3 months
- see ARUP consult[2]
Radiology
- RUQ ultrasound
- transient elastography to asssess cirrhosis
- neuroimaging (CT or MRI)
- widening of ventricles & sulci (cerebral atrophy)
Complications
- dependence (alcohol withdrawal syndrome)
- depression
- unintentional injury
- congenital defects (see congenital alcoholism)
- sleep disorder - diminished REM sleep
- nutritional disorders
- thiamine deficiency (Wernicke' syndrome)
- folate deficiency
- niacin deficiency (pellagra)
- gastrointestinal
- fatty liver
- alcoholic hepatitis
- pancreatitis (acute & chronic)
- esophageal varices
- Mallory-Weiss tear
- impaired esophageal motility[6]
- lower esophageal sphincter impairment
- GERD, esophagitis[6]
- Barrett's esophagus[6]
- salivary injury, hyposalivation & parotid hypertrophy[6]
- glossitis & stomatitis[6]
- hematopoietic
- macrocytic anemia
- thrombocytopenia
- splenomegaly
- direct suppression of platelet production
- sideroblastic changes in the bone marrow
- endocrine
- hypoglycemia (ethanol inhibits gluconeogenesis)
- increased levels of serum cortisol
- diminished T3 & to a lesser extent T4
- inhibition of vasopressin release[6]
- hypertension
- central nervous system
- peripheral neuropathy (5-10%)
- Wernicke's syndrome
- cerebellar degeneration (1%)
- cerebral atrophy (may be reversible component)
- cognitive impairment (recent & remote memory)
- heavy drinking in middle-age men accelerates cognitive decline[17]
- may improve with sustained abstinence[7]
- dementia
- alcohol-induced psychosis (reversible)
- occurs in the absence of withdrawal
- auditory hallucinations
- paranoid delusions
- 10-fold increase in cancer
- cardiovascular
- dose-dependent increase in blood pressure*
- binge drinking in men associated with elevated systolic BP[31]
- greater frequency of binge drinking in men associated with a more unfavorable lipid profile[31]
- cardiomyopathy
- hemorrhagic stroke (> 3-8 drinks/day), especially within 24 hour of heavy drinking (GRS9)[7][27]
- 'holiday heart' (after binge drinking)
- dose-dependent increase in blood pressure*
- sexual dysfunction
- increased sexual drive in men at levels < 100 mg/dL
- decrease in erectile capacity
- testicular atrophy
- amenorrhea, infertility & spontaneous abortions in women
- musculoskeletal
- acute myopathy
- painful swollen muscles
- elevated serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK)
- rarely myoglobinuria
- osteonecrosis of femoral head
- acute myopathy
- immunologic
- increase susceptibility to bacterial infections (pneumonia, tuberculosis)
- coagulation
- fibrinolysis[6]
- impaired blood clotting[6]
- skin
- urologic: urinary incontinence
- 10% of deaths in working age adults are related to excessive alcohol consumption[20]
* low-doses of ethanol produce a transient (acute) drop in blood pressure
Differential diagnosis
- opiate withdrawal
- aggression, hostility, agitation
- yawning, lacrimation (specific to opiate withdrawal)[39]
- cocaine abuse
- mydriasis, diaphoresis, tachycardia, hypertension, hyperthermia
- < 1% of illicit drug use in young adults[39]
Management
- detoxification (see alcohol withdrawal syndrome)
- inpatient alcohol detoxification within a medical facility despite negative reaction to a psychiatric inpatient stay
- pharmaceuticals
- nutritional support
- thiamine 100 mg IM should be given to any alcoholic suspected of not eating in several days prior to any carbohydrate (i.e. glucose) administration
- oral B vitamins
- maintenance of abstinence
- behavioral therapy (psychosocial counseling)
- a chronic care management program is no better than usual care in promoting abstinence in patients with alcohol or drug dependence[15]
- a smartphone application may help reduce risky drinking among patients who have completed an inpatient alcoholrehabilitation program[18]
- naltrexone
- effective[19]
- only naltrexone has been studied in elderly[7]
- 50 mg daily (of no benefit[5] without social support, counseling)
- naltrexone 380 mg monthly[9]
- may be started despite patient continuing to drink (NCBI)[41]
- patient must be abstinent from alcohol (GRS11)[7]
- effective in men & women[1]
- also effective in reducing heavy drinking
- contraindicated with hepatitis or cirrhosis[23]
- avoid in patients on opiates[30]
- combination of naltrexone plus sertraline suggested[10]
- acamprosate is as effective as naltrexone for maintenance of abstinence[19]
- ondansetron 4 ug/kg BID
- topiramate (Topamax) is effective[8][19]
- nalmefene (Revex) is effective[19]
- disulfiram not effective; may have value for some patients[7][30]
- not recommended for older patients[7]
- gabapentin
- improves rates of abstinence[16]
- not effective[19]
- smoking cessation[22]
- behavioral therapy (psychosocial counseling)
- psychotherapy
- treatment of concurrent depression
- screening & behavioral counseling after screening recommended by USPSTF[5]
- hospital discharge may be an opportunity for initiation of treatment for alcohol use disorder[40]
* do NOT prevent major withdrawal manifestations or seizures
Comparative biology
- FGF21 inhibits alcohol drinking by acting on the brain
- beta-klotho is a coreceptor for FGF21 & defects increase appetite of mice for alcohol[29]
More general terms
More specific terms
Additional terms
- alcohol withdrawal syndrome
- alcoholic beverage
- alcoholic hepatitis
- alcoholic liver disease (ALD)
- cirrhosis
- ethanol in serum/plasma/blood
- ethanol; ethyl alcohol
- ethyl glucuronide in specimen
- fetal alcohol syndrome
- hepatic encephalopathy
- screening for alcohol abuse
- Wernicke's syndrome (Wernicke's encephalopathy)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Medical Knowledge Self Assessment Program (MKSAP) 11, 14, 18. American College of Physicians, Philadelphia 1998, 2006, 2018.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Journal Watch vol 19 #24, pg 191, Dec 15, 1999
- ↑ Journal Watch 20(19):156, 2000
- ↑ Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 14th ed. Fauci et al (eds), McGraw-Hill Inc. NY, 1998, pg 2503
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Journal Watch 22(2):12, 2002 Krsytal JH et al Naltrexone in the treatment of alcohol dependence. N Engl J Med 345:1734, 2001 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11742047
Fuller RK & Gordis E Naltrexone treatment for alcohol dependence. N Engl J Med 345:1770, 2001 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11742054 - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Alison Moore, UCLA Multicampus Program in Geriatrics & Gerontology, 2002
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Geriatrics Review Syllabus, American Geriatrics Society, 5th edition, 2002-2004
Geriatric Review Syllabus, 8th edition (GRS8) Durso SC and Sullivan GN (eds) American Geriatrics Society, 2013
Geriatric Review Syllabus, 9th edition (GRS9) Medinal-Walpole A, Pacala JT, Porter JF (eds) American Geriatrics Society, 2016
Geriatric Review Syllabus, 11th edition (GRS11) Harper GM, Lyons WL, Potter JF (eds) American Geriatrics Society, 2022 - ↑ 8.0 8.1 Prescriber's Letter 10(9):53 2003
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Journal Watch 25(10):83, 2005 Garbutt JC, Kranzler HR, O'Malley SS, Gastfriend DR, Pettinati HM, Silverman BL, Loewy JW, Ehrich EW; Vivitrex Study Group. Efficacy and tolerability of long-acting injectable naltrexone for alcohol dependence: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2005 Apr 6;293(13):1617-25. Erratum in: JAMA. 2005 Apr 27;293(16):1978. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15811981
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Pettinati HM et al. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial combining sertraline and naltrexone for treating co-occurring depression and alcohol dependence. Am J Psychiatry 2010 Mar 15; [e-pub ahead of print]. http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.08060852
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Schutze M et al. Alcohol attributable burden of incidence of cancer in eight European countries based on results from prospective cohort study. BMJ 2011 Apr 7; 342:d1584. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21474525
- ↑ ARUP Consult: Alcohol Use Biomarkers The Physician's Guide to Laboratory Test Selection & Interpretation https://www.arupconsult.com/content/alcohol-abuse
Alcohol Use Biomarkers Testing https://arupconsult.com/ati/alcohol-use-biomarkers-testing - ↑ 13.0 13.1 US Preventive Services Task Force Screening and Behavioral Counseling Interventions in Primary Care to Reduce Alcohol Misuse: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement DRAFT http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/draftrec.htm
Jonas DE et al Behavioral Counseling After Screening for Alcohol Misuse in Primary Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Ann Intern Med. 25 September 2012 - ↑ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Alcohol Use and Binge Drinking Among Women of Childbearing Age
United States, 2006-2010 MMWR. July 20, 2012. 61(28);534-538 http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6128a4.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vital Signs: Binge Drinking Among Women and High School Girls
United States, 2011 MMWR. January 8, 2013. 62(Early Release);1-5 http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm62e0108a1.htm - ↑ 15.0 15.1 Saitz R et al Chronic Care Management for Dependence on Alcohol and Other Drugs. The AHEAD Randomized Trial. JAMA. 2013;310(11):1156-1167 <PubMed> PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24045740 <Internet> http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1738895
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Mason BJ et al. Gabapentin treatment for alcohol dependence: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Intern Med 2013 Nov 4 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24190578
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Sabia S et al Alcohol consumption and cognitive decline in early old age. Neurology. January 15, 2014 <PubMed> PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24431298 <Internet> http://www.neurology.org/content/early/2014/01/15/WNL.0000000000000063
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Gustafson DH et al A Smartphone Application to Support Recovery From Alcoholism. A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online March 26, 2014 <PubMed> PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24671165 <Internet> http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1847578
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 Schwenk TL Oral Naltrexone and Acamprosate Reduce Various Measures of Alcohol Consumption NEJM Journal Watch. May 13, 2014 Massachusetts Medical Society (subscription needed) http://www.jwatch.org
Jonas DE et al. Pharmacotherapy for adults with alcohol use disorders in outpatient settings. JAMA 2014 May 14; 311:1889. <PubMed> PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24825644 <Internet> http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1869208
Bradley KA and Kivlahan DR. Bringing patient-centered care to patients with alcohol use disorders. JAMA 2014 May 14; 311:1861 <PubMed> PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24825640 <Internet> http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1869194 - ↑ 20.0 20.1 Stahre M et al. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Contribution of Excessive Alcohol Consumption to Deaths and Years of Potential Life Lost in the United States. Preventing Chronic Disease vol 11. June 26, 2014 http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2014/13_0293.htm
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Esser MB et al Prevalence of Alcohol Dependence Among US Adult Drinkers, 2009-2011. Prev Chronic Dis 2014;11:140329 http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2014/14_0329.htm
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Leao RM et al. Chronic nicotine activates stress/reward-related brain regions and facilitates the transition to compulsive alcohol drinking. J Neurosci 2015 Apr 15; 35:6241 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25878294
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Friedmann PD. Clinical practice. Alcohol use in adults. N Engl J Med 2013 Jan 25; 368:365. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23343065
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Siqueira L, Smith VC Binge Drinking Pediatrics. August 31, 2015 <PubMed> PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26324872 <Internet> http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2015/08/26/peds.2015-2337
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Kendler KS et al. Effect of marriage on risk for onset of alcohol use disorder: A longitudinal and co-relative analysis in a Swedish national sample. Am J Psychiatry 2016 May 16; <PubMed> PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27180900 <Internet> http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2016.15111373
- ↑ Patra J, Taylor B, Irving H et al Alcohol consumption and the risk of morbidity and mortality for different stroke types--a systematic review and meta- analysis. BMC Public Health. 2010 May 18;10:258. Review. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20482788 Free PMC Article
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Community Preventive Services Task Force Preventing Excessive Alcohol Consumption Last updated: Oct 31, 2014. http://www.thecommunityguide.org/alcohol/index.html
- ↑ Paul LA, Grubaugh AL, Frueh BC, Ellis C, Egede LE. Associations between binge and heavy drinking and health behaviors in a nationally representative sample. Addict Behav. 2011 Dec;36(12):1240-5. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21868171 Free PMC Article
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 Schumann G, Liu C, O'Reilly P et al. KLB is associated with alcohol drinking, and its gene product beta-Klotho is necessary for FGF21 regulation of alcohol preference. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016 Dec 13; 113:14372. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27911795
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 Reus VI et al. The American Psychiatric Association practice guideline for the pharmacological treatment of patients with alcohol use disorder. Am J Psychiatry 2018 Jan 1; 175:86. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29301420 https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.1750101
American Psychiatric Association. The American Psychiatric Association practice guideline for the pharmacological treatment of patients with alcohol use disorder American Psychiatric Association Publishing; 2018. https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.5555/appi.books.9781615371969.alcohol00pre - ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 Piano MR, Burke L, Kang M, Phillips SA. Effects of Repeated Binge Drinking on Blood Pressure Levels and Other Cardiovascular Health Metrics in Young Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011-2014. J Am Heart Assoc. (JAHA) 2018;7:e008733. June 27, 2018 <PubMed> PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29950486 Free full text <Internet> http://jaha.ahajournals.org/content/7/13/e008733
- ↑ Friedmann PD. Clinical practice. Alcohol use in adults. N Engl J Med 2013 Jan 24; 368:365 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23343065 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcp1204714
- ↑ Winslow BT et al. Medications for alcohol use disorder. Am Fam Physician 2016 Mar 15; 93:457 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26977830 Free full text
- ↑ Edelman EJ, Fiellin DA. In the clinic. Alcohol use. Ann Intern Med 2016 Jan 5; 164:ITC1 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26747315
- ↑ Palmer BF, Clegg DJ. Electrolyte Disturbances in Patients with Chronic Alcohol-Use Disorder. N Engl J Med. 2017 Oct 5;377(14):1368-1377. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28976856
- ↑ Palpacuer C, Duprez R, Huneau A et al. Pharmacologically controlled drinking in the treatment of alcohol dependence or alcohol use disorders: a systematic review with direct and network meta-analyses on nalmefene, naltrexone, acamprosate, baclofen and topiramate. Addiction. 2018;113(2):220-237 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28940866 Free article https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.13974
- ↑ Huhn AS, Hobelmann JG, Ramirez A. Trends in first-time treatment admissions for older adults with alcohol use disorder: availability of medical and specialty clinical services in hospital, residential, and outpatient facilities. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2019 Dec 1;205:107694 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31704379 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376871619304715
- ↑ Dauber H, Pogarell O, Kraus L et al. Older adults in treatment for alcohol use disorders: service utilization, patient characteristics and treatment outcomes. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2018;13(1):40 PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30400930 PMCID: PMC6220462 Free PMC article https://substanceabusepolicy.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13011-018-0176-z
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 NEJM Knowledge+ Psychiatry
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 Bernstein EY et al. Pharmacologic treatment initiation among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with alcohol use disorder. Ann Intern Med 2023 Jun 27; [e-pub]. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37364264 https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-0641
Mayo-Smith MF, Lawrence D. Treatment of alcohol use disorder in hospitalized patients: Some sobering findings. Ann Intern Med 2023 Jun 27; [e-pub]. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37364269 https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-1419 - ↑ 41.0 41.1 NCBI Bookshelf Incorporating Alcohol Pharmacotherapies Into Medical Practice. Chapter 4 - Oral Naltrexone https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64042/#:~:text=Patients%20may%20experience%20fewer%20medication,if%20they%20are%20actively%20drinking.
- ↑ Alcohol and Drug Education for Prevention and Treatment (ADEPT) University of Missouri School of Medicine https://adept.missouri.edu/
- ↑ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Binge Drinking Fact Sheet: http://www.cdc.gov/VitalSigns/pdf/2013-01-vitalsigns.pdf
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