The most common health problems associated with AUD are liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis, damage to the heart muscles (i.e., cardiomyopathies), nerve damage (i.e., neuropathies), and dementia ( Lieber 1995). Exceeding these daily or weekly drinking limits significantly increases the risk of developing AUD and problematic health outcomes ( NIAAA 2014). For women, as well as for men ages 65 and older, drinking levels for low-risk drinking are defined as no more than 3 drinks per occasion or 7 drinks per week. Thus, for men ages 21–64, low-risk drinking is defined as consumption of no more than 4 drinks per day or 14 drinks per week. NIAAA (2014) has established guidelines for low-risk drinking that are age and gender specific. An estimated 18 million Americans have alcohol use disorder (AUD), including alcoholism and harmful drinking ( National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 2014). Although alcohol consumption is socially accepted across many cultures, heavy and prolonged alcohol intake can lead not only to physical dependence but also to devastating long-term health problems. People have been drinking alcoholic beverages for millennia, and alcohol consumption has played an important role throughout human history, being linked to ancient and modern religions, early medicine, and social occasions and celebrations. Researchers are only now beginning to understand how alcohol affects these cells and how these effects contribute to the pathophysiology of pulmonary diseases in people with AUD. The key immune cells involved in combating pulmonary conditions such as pneumonia, TB, RSV infection, and ARDS are neutrophils, lymphocytes, alveolar macrophages, and the cells responsible for innate immune responses. Increased susceptibility to these and other pulmonary infections is caused by impaired immune responses in people with AUD. Individuals with AUD are more likely to develop pneumonia, tuberculosis (TB), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
However, the lung also is adversely affected by alcohol abuse, a fact often overlooked by clinicians and the public. The most common and identifiable alcohol-associated health problems include liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis, cardiomyopathies, neuropathies, and dementia. It has long been known that people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) not only may develop physical dependence but also may experience devastating long-term health problems.
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