RT Book, Section
A1 Schuckit, Marc A.
A2 Kasper, Dennis
A2 Fauci, Anthony
A2 Hauser, Stephen
A2 Longo, Dan
A2 Jameson, J. Larry
A2 Loscalzo, Joseph
SR Print(0)
ID 1120820613
T1 Alcohol and Alcoholism
T2 Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 19e
YR 2014
FD 2014
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071802154
LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1120820613
RD 2020/08/03
AB Alcohol  (beverage  ethanol)  distributes  throughout  the  body,  affecting  almost  all  systems  and  altering  nearly  every  neurochemical  process  in  the  brain.  This  drug  is  likely  to  exacerbate  most  medical  problems,  affect  medications  metabolized  in  the  liver,  and  temporarily  mimic  many  medical  (e.g.,  diabetes)  and  psychiatric  (e.g.,  depression)  conditions.  The  lifetime  risk  for  repetitive  alcohol  problems  is  almost  20%  for  men  and  10%  for  women,  regardless  of  a  person’s  education  or  income.  Although  low  doses  of  alcohol  might  have  healthful  benefits,  greater  than  three  standard  drinks  per  day  enhances  the  risk  for  cancer  and  vascular  disease,  and  alcohol  use  disorders  decrease  the  life  span  by  about  10  years.  Unfortunately,  most  clinicians  have  had  only  limited  training  regarding  alcohol-related  disorders.  This  chapter  presents  a  brief  overview  of  clinically  useful  information  about  alcohol  use  and  problems.