Genes Associated with Alcohol Withdrawal

Document Type

Book Contribution

Publication Date

1-1-2016

Description

Worldwide, alcohol is the third leading risk factor for disease burden, while its harmful use leads to 2.5 million deaths every year. Alcohol dependence (AD) is a complex disease, with devastating effects on individuals, families, and society. It is estimated that 76.3 million people worldwide have suffered from alcohol use disorders (AUD), including alcohol abuse and AD. Alcohol withdrawal or alcohol withdrawal symptom (AWS) refers to a cluster of symptoms that may occur when a heavy drinker suddenly stops or significantly reduces their alcohol intake. These symptoms can start as early as 2 h after the last drink, persist for weeks, and range from mild anxiety and shakiness to severe complications, such as seizures and delirium tremens. Family, twin, and adoption studies have indicated that genetic and environmental factors and their interactions contribute to the development of AD and related phenotypes, with a heritability coefficient of more than 0.5 for AD. Whole-genome linkage and candidate gene association studies have successfully identified several chromosome regions and genes that are related to AD and AWS. Furthermore, gene expression analysis, epigenetic studies, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have provided regions and loci for AWS. This chapter reviews the recent findings in genetic studies of AWS.

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