Long-Term Effects of Alcohol on the Immune System

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Impact of AUD on B cells

• Moreover, a case report of an HIV-infected person demonstrated that the HIV infection progressed rapidly and that the patient developed full-blown AIDS after initiating heavy alcohol use (Fong et al. 1994).
• This same treatment also inhibited the in vitro production of IL-6 and IL-12 by peritoneal macrophages harvested 2 hours following injection of LPS (Pruett, Fan et al. 2005).
• Alcohol abuse represents a risk factor for liver diseases, such as alcoholic steatohepatitis and cirrhosis 37 in such a way that approximately 25% of heavy drinkers develop clinically alcoholic liver disease (ALD).
• Our body consists of different types of cells to safeguard the body from harmful germs attacking us and making us ill.
• Chronic excessive alcohol consumption causes inflammation in a variety of organs, including the gut, brain and liver.

Alcohol abuse represents a risk factor for liver diseases, such as alcoholic steatohepatitis and cirrhosis 37 in such a way that approximately 25% of heavy drinkers develop clinically alcoholic liver disease (ALD). For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that women limit their intake to one drink per day and men to two drinks. However, these recommendations are not necessarily intended to imply that these levels are safe for everyone, especially for those concerned about immune health.

Alcohol’s Effects on Immunity

The accompanying lack of an appropriate cell-mediated immune response would make the alcoholics more susceptible to infections that require a T-cell response. Furthermore, decreased IFN-γ levels likely contribute to additional cytokine abnormalities (e.g., altered IL-12 levels), thereby further impairing the cell-mediated immune response. Alcoholics and laboratory animals chronically ingesting alcohol have lower-than-normal numbers of all subpopulations of T cells in the blood, in the thymus—the gland where T cells mature—and in the spleen, where immune reactions are initiated. The mechanism underlying the alcohol-induced decrease in T-cell numbers still is unknown.

Gut Microbiota and Immune System

• While this metabolic shift may benefit vaccine responses, it poses a risk for individuals with autoimmune diseases by sustaining pathogenic antibody production.
• Chronic alcohol exposure skews monocyte differentiation, increasing pro-inflammatory subsets while impairing pathogen clearance.
• Our intimate, eight-person residential facility in the beautiful Hawaiian landscape offers a unique place to manage stress while focusing on your own sober goals and healing.

We can recover from alcohol’s harmful effects if given enough time and proper care. For example, when you stop drinking, your brain can repair damaged neurons and rebalance the neurotransmitters. Remember how alcohol disrupts the protective barrier in the gastrointestinal tract, compromising its ability to regulate the passage of substance?

• This damage to the DNA most likely was mediated by ROS generation in response to RAS activation.
• When someone is exposed to a virus, the body mounts an immune response to attack and kill the foreign pathogen.
• Alcohol can interact with medications used to treat autoimmune diseases, potentially affecting their effectiveness and safety.
• These cells circulate in the blood or reside in special lymphoid tissues (e.g., the spleen, lymph nodes, and tonsils), where they can encounter antigens and initiate an immune response.
• Because our body sees alcohol as a toxin, something dangerous to remove as quickly as possible, the liver prioritizes processing it above everything else.

Current data do not specify the effect of alcohol on specific subsets of macrophages in the intestinal lamina propria. When it’s busy handling alcohol, it has less energy and resources to support immunity, potentially leaving the body more vulnerable to infections. 1 Individual factors in adults that can moderate Sobriety the effect of alcohol consumption on immunity.

Being mindful of our consumption can significantly reduce the risk of immune impairment. Th17 cells also can be considered a type of helper T cells characterized by the production of interleukin 17. Their main function is to defend against pathogens at epithelial and mucosal barriers. Finally, Treg cells serve to limit and suppress the immune response to prevent overreaction of the immune system as well as immune reactions against self-antigens. The cerebellum is present at the back of our brain and plays an important role in the motor coordination of our body. The functions of the cerebellum get disrupted with heavy intake of ethanol; hence it gets difficult for the person to walk in a straight line or drive a car.

For instance, IL-1 induces HPA axis activation and glucocorticoid release that suppresses the immune system (Sapolsky, Rivier et al. 1987). Cytokines are also proposed to cross the blood-brain barrier and produce sickness behavior (Watkins, Maier et al. 1995), which is comorbid with AUD (Dantzer, Bluthe et al. 1998). Ethanol administration (4g/kg) in male rats increased IL-6 but decreased TNF-α expression in PVN, an effect that was blunted or reversed after long-term ethanol self-administration (Doremus-Fitzwater, Buck et al. 2014). Cytokines can also modulate important behavioral functions including learning and memory (Hao, Jing et al. 2014) possibly due to their role in neuroplasticity (Sheridan, Wdowicz et al. 2014). Many gaps remain in our understanding of the stress response, its physiological basis in the HPA, axis and its role in modulating the effects of ethanol on host immunity. A second study by Joosten et al. also analyzed gene expression profiles in PBMCs isolated from 24 healthy male subjects who consumed 50mL of vodka with 200mL orange juice or only orange twice daily for 4 weeks during dinner (considered to be moderate).

Alcohol’s Effect on Host Defense

Experiments done in an immortalized line of human T lymphocyte cells used in cancer research (i.e., Jurkat cells) found that exposure to different concentrations of ethanol (i.e., 25, 50, 100, 150, 200 mM) for 24 hours resulted in decreased cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, ethanol exposure decreased expression of the anti-apoptotic molecule Bcl-2 and promoted expression of the pro-apoptotic molecule BAX in the cells. These findings suggest that ethanol pretreatment can sensitize T cells to AICD (Kapasi et al. 2003). In vivo studies in humans confirmed these observations, demonstrating that binge drinking (i.e., consuming 5 to 7 drinks within 90 to 120 minutes) promoted T-cell apoptosis and decreased Bcl-2 expression (Kapasi et al. 2003). Moderate alcohol consumption is generally defined as up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men. This recommendation takes into account factors such as the risk of infection, blood alcohol concentration, and the dose-dependent manner in which alcohol affects the body.

Nitro-oxidative stress due to inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression, Nf-κB signaling activation, and microRNA-122 (miRNA-122) expression in the intestinal cells due to alcohol are the main reasons for altered gut permeability 21,22. Leaked LPS acts on liver tissues and immune cells in the liver, particularly the KCs, through the toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway to increase the levels of inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α and IL-1β, which are the sources of inflammation-induced ALD 5,24,25. Adachi et al. reported that the deletion of KCs in the liver prevents the development of liver disease in an alcohol-induced liver disease model 26. Studies over the last 30 years have clearly demonstrated that chronic ethanol abuse impairs the functions of both T cells and B cells. Chronic alcohol consumption results in lymphopenia with a loss in circulating T cells and B cells.

Goblet Cells

The most surefire way to achieve success in recovery is to make and execute a well-thought-out plan, with the support of caring professionals. Going through the stages of alcohol recovery can be stressful, but it’s less difficult with the right support system in place. If you’re addicted to alcohol or you fear you may be gulping down more than your immune system can bear, contact us. As you can see, your immune system is a complex team effort to neutralize anything that could make you sick. These defenders work 24/7 and are ready to deploy within minutes if a threat arises. If you feel powerless against addiction, our alcohol rehab center at Ardu Recovery Center offers individualized treatment and compassionate support to build a fulfilling alcohol-free life.