Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes and Blood Tests are Modified According to the Alcohol Consumption Pattern in Young People - Abstract
The most socially accepted addictive substance worldwide is alcohol. Indeed, regardless of sex and/or world region, individuals aged 15 to 29 years consistently presented the highest proportion of alcohol-related deaths. However, the effect of alcohol consumption on biochemical parameters and the number of immune cell in peripheral blood in young people is currently unknown.
Aims: The present study analyzed the effects of the alcohol consumption pattern on biochemical tests and blood lymphocyte profile.
Results: There were changes in the hazardous and harmful (HH) group in relation to alcohol consumption/occasion, biochemical tests including red cell counts and lymphocyte profile in the absence of clinical evidence of disease. The AUDIT score correlated directly with alcohol consumed per occasion, total craving, age, liver enzymes (GGT, AST), and NK and NKT cell levels. A dependent subgroup had a higher count of NKT cells and a lower count of B cells than the control group. These outcomes mirror similar results published in regard to alcoholic liver disease. Also, the numbers of these cells are one of the first changes that follow alcohol consumption. Therefore new research on young people with alcohol use disorders is needed.
Conclusion: Higher drinking per occasion or binge drinking induced biochemical and cellular alterations the first of which was the increase in the Neutrophil to Lymphocyte ratio and NKT cells in young adults. This finding can be a useful tool to help design new detection strategies and treatments or the prevention of excessive alcohol consumption, thus avoiding the development of alcoholic liver disease and burden of disease among young subjects