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World J Gastroenterol. Oct 28, 2014; 20(40): 14660-14671
Published online Oct 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i40.14660
Published online Oct 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i40.14660
Alcoholism: A systemic proinflammatory condition
Emilio González-Reimers, Francisco Santolaria-Fernández, María Candelaria Martín-González, Camino María Fernández-Rodríguez, Geraldine Quintero-Platt, Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, 38320 Canary Islands, Spain
Author contributions: All authors contributed to the writing of this manuscript; Martín-González MC and Fernández-Rodríguez CM primarily revised the general mechanisms involved in central nervous system damage; Quintero-Platt G was involved in the section on development of cardiovascular diseases; whereas González-Reimers E and Santolaria-Fernández F were responsible for the remaining sections, article drafting, and general revision.
Correspondence to: Emilio González-Reimers, MD, PhD, Professor, Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna, Ctra. Ofra, s/n, Tenerife, 38320 Canary Islands, Spain. egonrey@ull.es
Telephone: +34-922-678600 Fax: +34-922-319279
Received: October 27, 2013
Revised: February 8, 2014
Accepted: May 28, 2014
Published online: October 28, 2014
Revised: February 8, 2014
Accepted: May 28, 2014
Published online: October 28, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: Alcoholism is a multisystemic disease. In the last ten years it has been shown that an inflammatory response is triggered by ethanol itself, by reactive oxygen species derived from ethanol metabolism, and by increased amounts of mainly Gram-negative bacteria that reach liver and peripheral organs due to ethanol-induced increased intestinal permeability. In addition to direct organ injury caused by ethanol itself, these mechanisms especially affect end organs such as brain, lung, muscle, bone, heart, blood vessels, pancreas, and the immune system. The main features of these effects are highlighted in this review.