Biochemical and Molecular Basis of Alcohol-Induced Injury to Liver and Other Tissues

Abstract

CIRRHOSIS of the liver, usually as a complication of alcoholism, is the third most frequent cause of death among those 25 to 64 years of age in urban areas such as New York City.¹ This alcohol-induced disease was formerly attributed exclusively to associated malnutrition (the terms "alcohol" and "ethanol" [ethyl alcohol] are used interchangeably in this article). Studies conducted in the past two decades in human volunteers and subhuman primates have shown that both the initial liver lesion — the fatty liver² — and the ultimate stage of cirrhosis³ can be produced by alcohol in the absence of dietary deficiencies . . .