Human serum immunoglobulins during chronic alcoholhation

Abstract

There are controversial data about the behaviour of humoral immunity in man during chronic alcohol intoxication. The aim of this study was to assess the real action of chronic alcoholization on human serum immunoglobulins and to investigate factors modulating this action. IgA, IgG, and IgM concentrations in blood serum were assessed in 233 healthy individuals (109 women, 124 men), 43 excessive drinkers (5 women, 38 men), and 296 patients with alcohol dependence (28 women, 268 men) of various durations. In this study repeated consumption of alcohol was found to exert a marked action on the humoral immunity system in man. The most evident action was the increase in the concentration of serum IgA, which was positively correlated with the duration and severity of the chronic alcoholization. Less marked was the decrease in the concentration of serum IgM, seen in early phases of alcohol abuse. The concentration of serum IgG decreases in early phases, but in the most seven and long-lasting cases of intoxication it increases. Some differences in the action of chronic alcohol intoxication are found in connection with age and severity of psychic disorders of the subjects. Complex shifts in the concentration of serum immunoglobulins can be applied as supplementary markers of the severity of chronic alcohol intoxication. Further studies will be necessary to show the pathogenetic interpretation of these shifts in humoral immunity mechanisms during alcoholization.

Key Words:

• Alcoholism
• Immunoglobulins
• Psychopathology