Chronic alcohol excess is associated with selective but reversible injury to type 2B muscle fibres.
Patients drinking more than 100 g alcohol/day for longer than three years develop atrophy of striated muscle fibres. This predominantly affects type 2B fibres which are dependent on anaerobic glycolytic metabolism. Atrophy of type 1 and type 2A fibres, which in addition use aerobic mitochondrial respiration, only occurs in the most severe cases and then only to a lesser degree. Abstention from alcohol reverses the changes in muscle which slowly return to normal. Selective injury to type 2B fibres indicates that search should be made for an alcohol-induced biochemical lesion affecting the anaerobic glycolytic pathways of the muscle fibre.
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009132:Muscles / Q000473:pathology*; D009133:Muscular Atrophy / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D012737:Sex Factors
D003402:Creatine Kinase