A follow-up study on chromosomal aberrations in lymphocytes of alcoholics during early, medium, and long-term abstinence

The frequencies of structural chromosomal aberrations were analyzed in peri pheral blood lymphocytes of 31 chronic alcoholics at the beginning of an in tensive outpatient treatment program at a neuropsychiatric clinic and were compared with 31 controls matched for gender, age, smoking habits, and nond rinkers. A statistically significant difference was observed in the level o f chromosomal aberrations in somatic cells from alcoholics when compared wi th controls (3.01% vs, 1.28%, p less than or equal to 0.001). A follow-up s tudy was carried out for a subset of the patients after 3 months (8 subject s) and 12 months (14 subjects) of controlled abstinence. A statistically si gnificant increase in the mean frequency of cells with aberrations was obse rved in the group of 14 subjects reinvestigated after 12 months of abstinen ce when compared with the mean value of the first blood samples immediately after hospitalization (4.61% vs. 3.01%; p less than or equal to 0.001), An excessive increase in cigarette consumption during alcohol abstinence, ref lected by a dramatic elevation of GO-hemoglobin levels, may, at least in pa rt, account for this finding. In conclusion, chronic alcoholism leads to ge notoxic effects that, instead of recovering after 1 year of alcohol abstine nce, are even enhanced, most likely due to the "shift in addictive behavior ."