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Ethanol, the Liver, and the Gastrointestinal Tract
- MICHAEL C. GEOKAS, M.D., Ph.D.;
- CHARLES S. LIEBER, M.D.;
- SAMUEL FRENCH, M.D.; and
- CHARLES H. HALSTED, M.D.
Abstract
Ethanol is easily absorbed from the intestine and diffuses quickly throughout body water. The bulk of ethanol is metabolized in the liver, where alcohol dehydrogenase, a complex mixture of isoenzymes, oxidizes ethanol to acetaldehyde. Ethanol abuse produces functional and structural changes in the gastrointestinal tract, such as in the stomach, small intestine, liver, and pancreas. Accumulating evidence suggests direct toxicity of ethanol and possibly of acetaldehyde. Fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, acute and chronic gastritis, deranged structure and function of the small intestine, acute and chronic pancreatitis, and pancreatic lithiasis are some of the sequelae of ethanol abuse. Recent investigations have enhanced our understanding of the functional and structural changes of the gastrointestinal tract produced by the abuse of ethanol.
Article and Author Information
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▸An edited summary of an Interdepartmental Dean's Conference arranged by the Departments of Medicine of the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine; Davis, California; and the Veterans Administration Medical Center; Martinez, California.
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▸Authors who wish to cite a section of this conference and specifically indicate its author can use this example for the form of reference:
LIEBER CS. Pathogenesis of alcoholic liver injury, pp. 199-203. In: GEOKAS MC, moderator. Ethanol, the liver, and the gastrointestinal tract. Ann Intern Med. 1981; 95:198-211.
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▸Requests for reprints should be addressed to Michael C. Geokas, M.D., Ph.D., Chief, Medical Service, Department of Medicine, Veterans Administration Medical Center, 150 Muir Road; Martinez, CA 94553.
- © 1981 American College of Physicians
