RT Book, Section
A1 Schuckit, Marc A.
A2 Loscalzo, Joseph
A2 Fauci, Anthony
A2 Kasper, Dennis
A2 Hauser, Stephen
A2 Longo, Dan
A2 Jameson, J. Larry
SR Print(0)
ID 1199144841
T1 Alcohol and Alcohol Use Disorders
T2 Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 21e
YR 2022
FD 2022
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781264268504
LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1199144841
RD 2025/03/18
AB Alcohol  (beverage  ethanol)  has  diverse  and  widespread  effects  on  the  body  and  impacts  directly  or  indirectly  on  almost  every  neurochemical  system  in  the  brain.  A  large  majority  of  patients  in  most  clinical  settings  consume  alcohol,  with  the  highest  proportions  of  drinkers  of  at  least  modest  levels  of  alcohol  seen  in  more  educated  and  affluent  patient  groups.  At  even  relatively  low  doses,  this  drug  can  exacerbate  most  medical  problems  and  affect  medications  metabolized  in  the  liver,  and  at  higher  doses,  it  can  temporarily  mimic  many  medical  (e.g.,  diabetes)  and  psychiatric  (e.g.,  depression)  conditions.  The  lifetime  risk  for  repetitive  serious  alcohol  problems  (e.g.,  alcohol  use  disorders  as  described  below)  in  patients  is  at  least  20%  for  men  and  10%  for  women,  regardless  of  a  person’s  education  or  income,  and  U.S.  yearly  costs  for  these  disorders  exceed  $249  billion.  Although  low  doses  of  alcohol  might  have  healthful  benefits,  drinking  more  than  three  standard  drinks  per  day  enhances  the  risk  for  cancer  and  vascular  disease,  and  alcohol  use  disorders  decrease  the  life  span  by  ~10  years.  Unfortunately,  most  clinicians  have  had  only  limited  training  regarding  identifying  and  treating  alcohol-related  disorders.  This  chapter  presents  a  brief  overview  of  clinically  useful  information  about  alcohol  use  and  associated  problems.