Does Alcohol Withdrawal Influence Arterial Stiffness and Classical Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease for Persons With Alcohol Use Disorder?

AIMS: The amount and pattern of cigarette and alcohol consumption are highly associated with cardiovascular risk. The aim of the present study was the assessment of changes in arterial stiffness and classical risk factors for cardiovascular disease after alcohol withdrawal and detoxification in persons with alcohol use disorder. METHODS: Two hundred and forty-one individuals (men and women) participated in the investigation. The photoplethysmographic method was applied to assess arterial stiffness in three stages within 6 weeks. Participants were divided into subgroups based on age and sex. Analyses were performed using analysis of variance with repeated measures. RESULTS: Different variations in time of stiffness index (SI) and reflection index (RI) values were recorded. Some increases in triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and a decrease in high-density lipoproteins were observed in all analyzed groups. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (DP) changed significantly during the 3 weeks of the study only in a group of younger men. The SI is correlated with age and gender. No correlation of RI with sex was found; however, RI was strongly correlated with age, pulse and DP. CONCLUSIONS: The presented study shows that some groups of patients (older women and younger men) after detoxification may be particularly vulnerable to vascular system disorders, i.e. arterial stiffness, making it suggested to include additional observation during therapy.

Cessation of alcohol consumption decreases rate of nicotine metabolism in male alcohol-dependent smokers.

BACKGROUND: Rate of nicotine metabolism is an important factor influencing cigarette smoking behavior, dependence, and efficacy of nicotine replacement therapy. The current study examined the hypothesis that chronic alcohol abuse can accelerate the rate of nicotine metabolism. Nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR, a biomarker for rate of nicotine metabolism) and patterns of nicotine metabolites were assessed at three time points after alcohol cessation. METHODS: Participants were 22 Caucasian men randomly selected from a sample of 165 smokers entering a 7-week alcohol dependence treatment program in Poland. Data were collected at three time points: baseline (week 1, after acute alcohol detoxification), week 4, and week 7. Urine was analyzed for nicotine and metabolites and used to determine the nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR, a biomarker for rate of nicotine metabolism), and total nicotine equivalents (TNE, a biomarker for total daily nicotine exposure). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant decrease in urine NMR over the 7 weeks after alcohol abstinence (F(2,42)=18.83, p<0.001), indicating a decrease in rate of nicotine metabolism. On average NMR decreased 50.0% from baseline to week 7 (9.6±1.3 vs 4.1±0.6). There was no change in urine TNE across the three sessions, indicating no change daily nicotine intake. The results support the idea that chronic alcohol abuse may increase the rate of nicotine metabolism, which then decreases over time after alcohol cessation. This information may help to inform future smoking cessation interventions in this population.