By Lynne Eldridge, MD Lynne Eldrige, MD, is a lung cancer physician, patient advocate, and award-winning author of “Avoiding Cancer One Day at a Time.” What this suggests is that having a genetic predisposition for AUD may predispose you to lung cancer as well. Unlike some carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke, alcohol is thought to promote the growth of an existing tumor rather than initiate the onset of cancer. This includes malignancies such as liver cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, breast cancer, and head and neck cancers. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—a decision that aligned with an earlier ruling from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization (WHO). If you or a loved one is struggling with lung problems and alcohol addiction, don’t wait to seek help.
Effects of alcohol on the lungs
- Because alcohol consumption shows a U-shaped curve with cardiovascular mortality (Murray et al., 2002; Rimm et al., 1991), these investigators hypothesized a similar relation between alcohol consumption and COPD mortality.
- Long-term heavy drinking causes inflammation and eventually harms the immune system.
- For example, Bouchard and colleagues (2012) showed that alcohol exposure triggered asthma-like pulmonary inflammation in an allergen-sensitized mouse model.
Banner observed that nearly half of the patients admitted to an alcohol detoxification unit had airflow obstruction on spirometry and almost all had in gas diffusion impairment that could not be explained on the basis of cigarette smoking (Banner, 1973). The findings were confirmed by Emirgil and correlated to symptoms of chronic bronchitis and shortness of breath in a similar group of alcoholics (Emirgil et al., 1974). A later study by Emirgil in 1977 studied pulmonary function in 44 abstinent members of Alcoholics Anonymous and found that 64% had airflow obstruction and 16% and 17% exhibited significant air trapping and/or impaired diffusion, respectively (Emirgil and Sobol, 1977).
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The role of these two signaling molecules is supported by the observation that treatment with recombinant GM-CSF can rapidly restore alveolar epithelial function in alcohol-fed rats, both in vivo and in vitro (Pelaez et al. 2004). Studies also have analyzed the role of GM-CSF in alcohol-induced oxidative stress and impaired lung immunity. GM-CSF is secreted by type II alveolar cells and is required for terminal differentiation of circulating monocytes into mature, functional alveolar macrophages (Joshi et al. 2006).
The Long-Term Respiratory Effects of Drinking
This neutrophil-recruitment process is impaired by alcohol; even brief alcohol exposure decreases neutrophil recruitment to infected sites (Astry et al. 1983). For example, alcohol studies in rodents infected with aerosolized Staphylococcus aureus or Proteus mirabilis have demonstrated that alcohol intoxication decreases bacterial clearance in conjunction with decreased pulmonary neutrophil recruitment (Astry et al. 1983). Similarly, Boe and colleagues (2001) found that alcohol-exposed rats had decreased pulmonary neutrophil recruitment for up to 18 hours following S.
“The evidence for alcohol causing lung cancer is inconsistent and is considered limited,” says Marji McCullough, a registered dietitian and senior scientific director of epidemiology research for the American Cancer Society. Mutations of ADH and ALDH can increase the speed by which alcohol is broken down while increasing the concentration of the “feel-good” hormone dopamine in the brain. The top recommendation for treating alcohol use and its medical complications is to enter an inpatient rehab program. Inpatient treatment centers for alcohol commonly offer both medical detox services and rehabilitation programs for overcoming all aspects of a person’s addiction. Within a treatment setting, patients will have access to a medical doctor who can oversee their alcohol-related health problems and propose effective treatment options. If you struggle with alcohol use, or know someone that does, it can be important to recognize the warning signs of the ‘alcoholic lung.’ The most common lung conditions linked to alcohol use are detailed below.
Emory University pulmonologist David Guidot has made it his life’s work to study the effects of AUD on the lungs. As he explains in an Emory Medicine press release, “The lungs are especially vulnerable because chronic drinking depletes them of glutathione, and the alveoli and small airways are very dependent on it. Chronic alcoholics have extremely low levels of glutathione in the lungs.” While the alcohol itself isn’t the direct cause of the changes, the oxidative stress that it causes leads to glutathione depletion. Chronic alcohol use can lead to inflammation and damage in the airways, causing structural changes that impede proper airflow. Additionally, alcohol can weaken the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to respiratory infections that can further exacerbate COPD symptoms. Alcohol consumption triggers an inflammatory response in the lungs, leading to a state of ongoing inflammation.
How Does Alcohol Affect The Lungs?
In addition to messing with their ability to deliver oxygen to the cells of our body, alcohol interferes with another important function of the lungs — their role in the immune system. The respiratory tract is lined with cilia, tiny hair-like structures that help keep the airways clean by sweeping our pathogens and harmful particles along with mucus. Another recent study is relevant to an even wider audience and is certainly food for thought when it comes to evaluating our drinking habits. Guidot and his team looked at the effect of alcohol on glutathione levels in “relatively functional alcoholics” — young folks who were treated for AUD in an inpatient facility, but were otherwise medically stable, healthy, and well-nourished. They found that glutathione levels in the lungs of the subjects were 80% to 90% lower compared with their non-drinking counterparts at the 2-3 day mark after their last drink and remained low for at least a week. In fact, people who have an alcohol use disorder are tharros house more than twice as likely to have something called acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Exceeding these daily or weekly drinking limits significantly increases the risk of developing AUD and problematic health outcomes (NIAAA 2014). To determine whether the influx of neutrophils into lung tissue was mediated by neutrophil chemokines, the expression of Cxcl1, Cxcl2, and Cxcl15 was measured in lung tissue 9 h and 24 h post-binge (Figure 2C). Previous studies have linked these cytokines to neutrophil infiltration in the lung (e.g., Rossi et al., 1999). Compared to control, animals administered 10 days of ethanol-containing liquid diet alone and ethanol diet plus ethanol binge had significantly elevated pulmonary expression of Cxcl1 and Cxcl2. In animals exposed to chronic + binge alcohol, but not 10 days of ethanol alone or ethanol binge alone, expression of the lung-specific chemokine, Cxcl15, increased by ~50% (1.5 ± 0.1 fold of control) of control.
