W15/L1: *Parslow Alcohol

Question 1

How many Australians have health problems related to risky alcohol consumption?

Answer 1

2-3 million

Question 2

WHat proportion of Australians exhibit alcohol-induced Wernicke Korsakoff syndrome

Answer 2

2%

Question 3

What is the primary organ of alcohol damage?

Answer 3

The liver

Question 4

What stages of damage does the liver progress through?

Answer 4

Fatty infiltration
Alcoholic hepatitis
Cirrhosis

Question 5

What is cirrhosis?

Answer 5

Irreversible fibrous degradation of the liver

Question 6

What’s the most significant pathway for alcohol breakdown?

Answer 6

Alcohol dehydrogenase

Question 7

What’s the inducible system of alcohol breakdown?

Answer 7

MEOS - Microsomal ethanol oxidising system

Question 8

What is the enzyme involved in MEOS?

Answer 8

CYP2E1

Question 9

What’s the 3rd minor system of alcohol breakdown?

Answer 9

Oxidisation via catalase

Question 10

What does aldehyde dehydrogenase do?

Answer 10

Converts acetaldehyde to acetate

Question 11

What are the two fates of acetate?

Answer 11

Oxidisation for energy via the TCA cycle

Converted to fat

Question 12

At what rate do most humans clear alcohol?

Answer 12

10g per hour

or .015% BAC per hour

Question 13

T/F: Addiction to alcohol is always due to inherited predispostition

Answer 13

False - there’s multiple causes, but inherited predisposition is one of them

Question 14

What are some ways to treat alcohol addiction?

Answer 14

Drugs that make alcohol less pleasurable to drink

Question 15

T/F: Immense economic and social damage is caused by alcohol

Answer 15

True

Question 16

T/F: People who abstain from alcohol have better health and longevity

Answer 16

False - research suggests moderate drinkers are healthier