The alcoholic lung disease: historical background and clinical features.
The purpose of this review article is to prove the damage that alcohol causes to the respiratory system. We will make a brief review of alcohols history in the course of the centuries till nowadays. The problem of addiction to alcohol (alcoholism) will be examined for several countries. Alcohol's metabolism is another topic to be discussed parallel to its pharmacological action. In addition, alcohol's impact on the respiratory system varies from damaging the mucociliary system to the regulation of breathing and from the sleep apnea syndrome to diffusion disorders. "Alcoholic lung disease" constitutes a syndrome despite the fact that the damage of the lung due to concurrent smoking and drug use is often indistinguishable.
Karkoulias
Kiriakos
K
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pneumology, University Hospital of Patras, Rio, Patras, Greece.
Tsitsaras
Haralampos
H
Patouchas
Dimitrios
D
Sampsonas
Fotis
F
Likouras
Dimostenis
D
Kaparianos
Alexander
A
Spiropoulos
Kostas
K
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D032761:Animal Experimentation; D000818:Animals; D001633:Bible; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000266:history / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000506:poisoning / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D011817:Rabbits; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000187:drug effects; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications; D013577:Syndrome
D000431:Ethanol