title: Comparative study on ethanol elimination and blood acetaldehyde between alcoholics and control subjects.
abstract: Factors influencing ethanol elimination rate and blood acetaldehyde concentration with regard to age, blood ethanol concentration, and degrees of alcoholic liver disorder were studied in alcoholic patients vis-à-vis healthy subjects. Ninety-four male alcoholic patients were divided into five groups according to age and into three groups according to blood ethanol concentration which ranged between 4.21 and 0.29 mg/ml. It was noted that as age increased, blood ethanol concentration decreased. Groups A, B, and C consisted of subjects whose ethanol levels were more than 2.5, between 1.0 and 2.5, and less than 1.0 mg/ml, respectively. Average values of ethanol elimination rate in Groups A, B, and C were 0.26, 0.23, and 0.18 mg/ml/hr, respectively. The rate increased as blood ethanol concentration elevated. The rate in Group B was significantly higher than that in the healthy control subjects who had blood ethanol levels between 1.0 and 2.5 mg/ml. The rate of ethanol elimination was independent of liver disorder judged by liver function test values. Blood acetaldehyde concentrations in the patients were less than 1.48 micrograms/ml, with an average value of 0.58 microgram/ml, and were significantly correlated with blood ethanol levels in both alcoholics and healthy subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, Kobe University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mizoi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukunaga
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Imamichi
mesh_terms: D000079:Acetaldehyde / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000201:enzymology*; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006801:Humans; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000201:enzymology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase; D000079:Acetaldehyde