META-ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE GENOTYPE ON ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE AND ALCOHOLIC LIVER DISEASE

• Published in: Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford) Vol. 32; no. 5; pp. 613 - 619
• Main Author: WHITFIELD, J. B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.09.1997
• Subjects: Alcohol Dehydrogenase - genetics; Alcoholism - enzymology; Alcoholism - genetics; Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning; Alleles; Biological and medical sciences; Genetic Variation; Genotype; Humans; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic - enzymology; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic - epidemiology; Medical sciences; Risk Factors; Toxicology; Human; Correlation; Genetic inheritance; Ethanol; Enzyme; Toxicity; Hepatic disease; Genotype; Alcohol dehydrogenase; Metaanalysis; Toxicogenetics; Dependence; Predisposition; Digestive diseases; Oxidoreductases; Polymorphism
• ISSN: 0735-0414; 1464-3502
• DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.alcalc.a008303

The purpose of this paper is to assemble and evaluate existing data on the effect of genetic variation in ADH2 and ADH3 on the risk of alcohol dependence, and on the risk of alcoholic liver disease. Calculations of odds ratios and their confidence linuts, and tests for heterogeneity of the results from the available studies, have been performed. It is clear that possession of the ADH2-2 allele decreases the risk of alcohol dependence, but it increases the risk of alcoholic liver disease among alcoholics. ADH3 variation also has significant effects on alcohol dependence, which may be due to linkage to ADH2; the ADH3 effect differs significantly between Asian and European subjects. Therefore ADH genotype has substantial effects on risk of alcohol dependence and alcoholic liver disease, but more work is needed on the generalizability of these findings to non-Asian populations, and on possible mechanisms.