Could the high level of cirrhosis in central and eastern Europe be due partly to the quality of alcohol consumed? An exploratory investigation
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Background The burden of alcohol‐related diseases differs widely among countries. Since the 1980s, a band of countries in Central and Eastern Europe have experienced a steep rise in deaths from chronic liver diseases and cirrhosis. A possible risk factor is the consumption of illegally produced home‐made spirits in these countries containing varying amounts of aliphatic alcohols and which may be hepatotoxic. However, little is known about the composition of such beverages. Aims To compare the concentration of short‐chain aliphatic alcohols in spirits from illegal and legal sources in Hungary. Design Samples taken from commercial retailers and illegal sources were collected and their aliphatic patterns and alcohol concentrations were determined by gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) analysis. Findings The concentrations of methanol, isobutanol, 1‐propanol, 1‐butanol, 2‐butanol and isoamyl alcohol were significantly higher in home‐made spirits than those of from commercial sources. Conclusions The results suggest that the consumption of home‐made spirits is an additional risk factor for the development of alcohol‐induced cirrhosis and may have contributed to high level of liver cirrhosis mortality in Central and Eastern Europe. Restrictions on supply and sale of alcohol from illicit sources are needed urgently to reduce significantly the mortality from chronic liver disease.
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Another dimension of alcohol use discussed specifically for liver cirrhosis is the quality of the alcoholic beverage, and particularly potential problems with hepatotoxic ingredients in unrecorded consumption.
“Another dimension of alcohol use has been discussed specifically for liver cirrhosis: the quality of the alcoholic beverage, and particularly potential problems with hepatotoxic ingredients in unrecorded consumption (e.g. 286.”
From The relationship between different dimensions of alcohol use and the burden of disease—an update (2017) · cites this paper as [286]
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- Authors
- Sz cs, S., Sárváry, A., McKee, M., & Ádány, R.
- Affiliations
- University of Debrecen (HU)
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Ádány, Róza
- Venue
- Addiction
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2005-03-22
- Volume
- 100
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 536-542
- ISSN
- 0965-2140 (ISSN-L)
- 1360-0443
- OpenAlex
- W2066388051
- Cited by
- 88
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 3.34
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Licence
- Locations
- Addiction (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Debrecen Electronic Archive (University of Debrecen) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- LSHTM Research Online (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Toxicology › Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis
- Keywords
- liver cirrhosis, aliphatic alcohols, methanol, isobutanol, chronic liver disease, alcohol-related mortality, Central and Eastern Europe, hepatotoxicity
- MeSH terms
- Alcohol Drinking, Alcoholic Beverages, Chromatography, Gas, Female, Humans, Hungary, Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic, Male, Risk Factors, Mass Spectrometry
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