title: Alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase polymorphisms in men with type I and Type II alcoholism.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The authors examined the genetic polymorphisms of alcohol dehydrogenase 2 and 3 (ADH2 and ADH3) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) in patients diagnosed as having Cloninger's type I or type II alcoholism.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-two alcoholic men and 38 nonalcoholic, healthy men were tested for the distribution of genotypes and alleles of ADH2, ADH3, and ALDH2. Forty-eight of the alcoholic men had type I alcoholism, and 24 had type II alcoholism.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequencies of ADH2*1 and ADH3*2 alleles were significantly higher in men with type II alcoholism than in men with type I alcoholism and healthy men. The frequency of the ALDH2*1 allele was significantly higher in men with alcohol dependence than in healthy men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The genetic characteristics of alcohol dehydrogenases in men with type I alcoholism were similar to those of healthy men, and the genetic characteristics of aldehyde dehydrogenase in men with type I alcoholism were similar to those of men with type II alcoholism. These findings suggest that the genetic characteristics of alcohol metabolism in type I alcoholism fall between nonalcoholism and type II alcoholism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Hanyang University College of Sciences, Ansan, Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Gyu
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.forename: Dong-Yul
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Eun Kee
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Gil Sook
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Leen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yu-Sang
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ihn-Geun
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000201:enzymology / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase