Genetics of Alcohol Use Disorder: A Review PMC

19 Aug Genetics of Alcohol Use Disorder: A Review PMC

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), a subset of the government’s health-focused .gov entities, has been at the forefront of alcohol research. Their mission is not just to understand the genetics of alcohol use disorder but also to provide resources and support for those struggling with substance abuse. According to the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 15.1 million people in the US suffer from alcohol use disorder (AUD).

• It also includes binge drinking — a pattern of drinking where a male has five or more drinks within two hours or a female has at least four drinks within two hours.
• It’s also much more likely that you will encounter many environmental cues that will increase your chances.
• Children of people with AUD may be 2-6 times more likely to develop problems with alcohol use when compared to those whose parents do not have alcohol use disorder.

As a result, early GWAS in psychiatric phenotypes yielded negative findings (Sklar et al., 2008; Craddock and Sklar, 2013). In retrospect, those studies (despite sample sizes in the range of 1000–2000) were largely underpowered to detect risk variants of small effect. Current power and sample size estimates for GWAS with effect sizes of 1.05–1.2 range from 30,000 – 120,000 (Owen et al., 2010; Schizophrenia Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics, 2014).

What are the chances of inheriting AUD from your parents?

There are hundreds of genes in a person’s DNA that may amplify the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder. Identifying these genes is difficult because each plays a small role in a much larger picture. Yet studies have shown that certain combinations of genes have a strong relationship to alcoholism. Compared to other genetic predictors, the genomic pattern identified here was also a more sensitive predictor of having two or more substance use disorders at once. The genomic pattern linked to general addiction risk also predicted higher risk of mental and physical illness, including psychiatric disorders, suicidal behavior, respiratory disease, heart disease, and chronic pain conditions. In children aged 9 or 10 years without any experience of substance use, these genes correlated with parental substance use and externalizing behavior.

Some alleles that reduce heavy drinking can,
nevertheless, increase risk for disease in the subset of individuals who drink
heavily despite having them. Additionally, other mental health conditions like depression or anxiety can also cause someone to turn to alcohol to help self-soothe. In some instances, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ the person may not even realize the mental health condition is present. These underlying causes can also be genetic, and if there is a family member that never received treatment for their mental health condition, other family members may never realize they have a mental health disorder as well.

Alcohol Use Disorder Risk Factors

It is pretty well understood that high-stress environments and trauma are linked to alcohol use disorder, so appropriate therapy to manage these mental and behavioral conditions is extremely important. The more risk factors a person has, the greater is alcoholism inherited the chance of developing an alcohol use disorder or addiction. Some mental health conditions may be a risk factor for developing alcohol use disorder, including clinical depression and schizophrenia, which also have a genetic component.

Many factors are involved in the development of AUD, but having a relative, or relatives, living with AUD may account for almost one-half of your individual risk. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a diagnosis once referred to as “alcoholism.” It’s a condition characterized by patterns of excessive alcohol misuse despite negative consequences and major distress in important areas of daily function. Instead, the awareness should prod you to protect yourself from the damage that alcohol could bring to your life and health. This underscores the importance of early intervention and awareness, especially in homes where family members have a history of alcohol-related issues.

Addiction: Genetic vs. environmental factors

Just as risk factors increase your chance of experiencing a condition, protective factors lower your risk. Some protective factors, such as natural optimism, may remain fixed over time. Other factors, such as friend groups and level of financial security, may be subject to change. Having a close family relative, such as a parent, can account for up to 60% of your risk of developing AUD. This is true not only as a health concern but also as a financial burden on society. In 2010, it was estimated that alcohol abuse cost the United States $249 billion.

This encompasses issues often referred to as alcohol dependence, alcohol misuse, alcohol addiction, and even the oft-used term—alcoholism. Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a chronic psychiatric illness characterized by harmful drinking patterns leading to negative emotional, physical, and social ramifications. While the underlying pathophysiology of AUD is poorly understood, there is substantial evidence for a genetic component; however, identification of universal genetic risk variants for AUD has been difficult. Recent efforts in the search for AUD susceptibility genes will be reviewed in this article.