Medical experts yesterday called for broader testing for alcohol intolerance in Taiwan given the high prevalence of the disorder and its impact on health.
The Food and Drug Administration has authorized a test kit that detects genetic markers linked to alcohol intolerance, Liver Disease Prevention and Treatment Research Foundation chief executive officer Nien Hsiao-ching (粘曉菁) told a news conference in Taipei.
The technology, which uses a mouth swab, is available as a paid-out-of-pocket procedure, she said.
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Alcohol intolerance is caused by mutations of the genes governing the enzymes that break down alcohol, Nien said.
The disorder’s prevalence rate is 8 percent globally, but 30 to 34 percent in East Asia and 47 percent in Taiwan, leading to a significantly worse impact of alcohol on Taiwanese, she said.
Alcohol is metabolized by alcohol dehydrogenase into acetaldehyde before acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) breaks down the substance into carbon dioxide and water, which are expelled, she said.
For people with alcohol intolerance, the low-activity ALDH enzymes cause toxic acetaldehyde to build up in the body, resulting in heightened risks of poisoning and cancer, Nien said.
Susceptibility to hangovers, nausea, vertigo and developing a flush after drinking are common symptoms of alcohol intolerance, but genetic testing is required for a diagnosis, she said.
Reliable diagnosis through the test kits would go a long way in reducing the harm posed by alcohol, foundation chairman Sheu Jin-chuan (許金川) said.
Alcohol-related liver diseases, especially cirrhosis, are major causes of death and should be targeted by health authorities, who have made strides in eliminating hepatitis B and C, Sheu said.
Cirrhosis’ greatest danger to health is a lack of obvious symptoms and its late discovery often leaves few treatment options other than organ transplant, he said.
The government spends an estimated NT$53 billion (US$1.7 billion) on healthcare each year to treat alcohol-related conditions, including treatments for hepatitis, liver cancer and alcohol-related accidents, National Health Insurance Administration Director-General Chen Lian-yu (陳亮妤) said.
An estimated 8.5 million Taiwanese consume alcohol, including 1 million who engage in hazardous drinking, in part fueled by an effort to self-medicate, she said.
A drinker is between two and three times more likely to have chronic depression after five years of habitual alcohol consumption, and significantly more likely to develop dementia after 10 years, Chen added.
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