ALCOHOLS CONTRIBUTION TO COMPROMISED IMMUNITY

Alcoholics frequently suffer from infectious diseases and have increas ed rates of some cancers, indicating that alcohol impairs the immune s ystem, which protects the body against this type of damage, Alcohol in terferes with the functions of many of the cells and molecules that ar e part of the Immune system, For example, alcohol inhibits the functio ns of the cells that ingest and destroy invading microorganisms (i.e., neutrophils, monocytes, and macrophages), Both acute and chronic alco hol exposure also alter the production of signaling molecules that hel p coordinate the immune response (i.e., cytokines), Finally, alcohol a dversely affects the functions of the cells that mediate the immune re sponse against specific microorganisms and long-term immunity (i.e., T cells and B cells). As a result, alcoholics have an increased suscept ibility to diseases caused by bacterial infections, such as tuberculos is and pneumonia, Alcoholics also may be more susceptible to infection s from the virus that causes AIDS, in addition, alcohol intoxication c an exacerbate the immune suppression that occurs after traumatic injur ies.