Abstract | BACKGROUND: A limited number of investigations have studied clearly defined patients with alcoholism and blood alcohol concentrations with their correlation to plasma homocysteine values and differentiated actively drinking patients from those with early abstinence. Therefore, this power analysis-based study was undertaken to determine whether plasma homocysteine levels are evidently altered in actively drinking alcoholic patients and patients with early abstinence. METHODS: Two groups of patients with an established diagnosis of alcohol dependence. For both groups, a power of 90% (alpha = 0.05) was applied. Group A comprised 144 consecutively admitted actively drinking patients with alcoholism. Group B consisted of 56 patients with alcoholism who had abstained from alcohol for 24 to 72 hr before admission to the hospital. RESULTS: Plasma homocysteine levels were significantly (t test: df = 198, t = -8.6, p < 0.0001) higher at admission when comparing group A with group B. The highly increased homocysteine levels in actively drinking patients with alcoholism were based on a strong significant positive correlation with the blood alcohol concentration (multiple regression analysis, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS:
|
Authors | Stefan Bleich, Marco Carl, Kristina Bayerlein, Udo Reulbach, Teresa Biermann, Thomas Hillemacher, Dominikus Bönsch, Johannes Kornhuber |
Journal | Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research
(Alcohol Clin Exp Res)
Vol. 29
Issue 3
Pg. 334-6
(Mar 2005)
ISSN: 0145-6008 [Print] England |
PMID | 15770107
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
|
Chemical References |
- Central Nervous System Depressants
- Homocysteine
- Ethanol
|
Topics |
- Adult
- Aged
- Alcoholism
(metabolism)
- Central Nervous System Depressants
(blood)
- Ethanol
(blood)
- Female
- Homocysteine
(metabolism)
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
|