Immunological parameters in patients suffering from alcohol-dependence syndrome

Alcohol abuse is a major cause of abnormal liver development and activity. In addition to enzymatic malfunction, alcohol and its metabolites induce changes in the levels of some liver antigens, resulting in immunological disturbance. The purpose of the present study is to correlate the severity of liver function impairment with the length of alcohol abuse, in order to be able to use such tests as indicative of the severity of Alcohol Dependence Syndrome. Thirty-one alcohol abusers were allocated to three groups on the basis of the levels of their liver enzymes, and were tested for a variety of immunological parameters and skin reactions. The data indicate that even though not all immunological values measured differed significantly from the control values, in those that did (granulocytes, lymphocytes, CD4/CD8 ratio, C3, IgG, IgM and some skin positive reactions), the biggest difference was between the healthy volunteers and the group with the longest abuse period. It is suggested that changes in selected immunological parameters in alcohol abusers may indicate the severity of their liver dysfunction.