Alcohol is one of the oldest drugs known and it affects virtually every organ system in the body. The number of physiological systems affected by alcohol is staggering both in the scope of medical consequences and in terms of the economics of medical [...]

Accidental injuries are a direct medical consequence of alcohol intoxication and it is well known that alcohol increases the risk for injuries through impairment of cognitive and psychomotor functioning while performing or engaging in a variety of behavioral activities. Among these, the effects of alcohol [...]

Driving while intoxicated is probably the most well-studied injurious consequence of drinking. Whereas the older scientific literature on drinking and driving focused on the effects of high blood alcohol levels on simple reaction time, on the visual system, and on gross impairment, it is now known that the effects of alcohol are much broader and [...]

Not only does alcohol intoxication produce direct medical consequences as a result of injuries (e.g., fractures, traumatic amputations, etc.) sustained in a motor vehicle crash, for example, it may also affect injury outcome, particularly head injuries. This is highly significant since up to half of traumatic brain-injured patients have blood alcohol concentrations of .10 percent [...]

Although it is not difficult to appreciate the positive and causal relationship between alcohol intoxication and skeletal fractures — one need only look at the large number of motor vehicle and slip-and-fall injuries involving alcohol intoxication — this relationship is more complex and certainly did [...]

Current scientific research on the prevalence of fractures in alcoholic subjects is based on epidemiological studies. Those results are generally inconsistent, but there is some evidence of a positive association between alcohol intake and fracture occurrence. For example, men hospitalized for alcohol-related problems are four times more likely to have rib fractures than nondrinking patients [...]

The normal growth of bone cells depends upon a variety of orchestrated factors, including adequate nutrition and the function and interaction of various hormones and intercellular regulating factors. Research in this area suggests that while the exact mechanism through which alcohol affects the integrity of the skeleton is not known, much has been learned. Even [...]

Gastrointestinal Diseases Not all of the effects of alcohol occur rapidly, as in the cases of motor vehicle crashes, pedestrian falls, and subsequent skeletal injuries. Some medical consequences of alcohol are more insidious, taking years to unfold before any significant medical consequence is detected. Among these are [...]

As the majority of alcohol leaves the gastrointestinal tract, it travels via the hepatic portal vein from the small intestines to the liver, the largest organ in the body and the primary site of alcohol metabolism. Since some alcohol metabolites are toxic, and because the concentration of alcohol reaching the liver is [...]

The metabolism of alcohol by hepatocytes requires oxygen, a process that produces free radicals, such as hydroxyl and 1-hydroxyethyl radicals and superoxide anions. These highly reactive compounds can interact with proteins, lipids, and deoxyribonucleic acid to cause damage or death to liver cells. Chronic alcohol consumption also causes white blood cells (neutrophils) to migrate to [...]