Immunodeficiency associated with ethanol abuse.

A number of study findings have shown that ETOH has a profound effect on the immune system. The work from my laboratory has established in animal models that the effect of ETOH is complex. It is well established that ingestion of ETOH-containing diets results in a loss of lymphoid cells from the peripheral blood, spleen, and thymus. Some of the cell loss from the thymus is the result of corticosteroid release as a result of the withdrawal from ETOH, but the loss from the spleen and some of the thymocyte loss is independent of corticosteroids, as demonstrated by studies using ADX mice and rats. We have also established that ETOH ingestion is associated with a loss of lymphocyte function, especially T-cell-dependent immune responses. One aspect of the T-cell defect is an inability to use IL-2, an important growth factor for T cells. Similar changes in lymphocyte function have been demonstrated in animals exposed to ETOH only in utero. The inability of a person to respond immunologically in an appropriate fashion to foreign antigens has a profound effect on the survival of the person. It would be predicted that ETOH-associated immunosuppression would result in increased incidences of infections. From the data generated from my laboratory it could also be predicted that these infections would be primarily opportunistic infections that are associated with defects in T-cell function. The available literature would support these predictions. It is also likely that changes in T-cell function would alter immunosurveillance mechanisms with the end result being an increased incidence of tumors. Again, the available literature would support this prediction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)