Liver Pathology and Alcohol

Alcohol and other drugs of abuse are major factors in the development of liver disease. Cirrhosis of the liver from alcohol abuse causes thousands of deaths annually in the US. This, in turn, creates a higher demand for liver transplantation.Liver Pathology and Alcohol, the second volume in Humana's new Drug and Alcohol Abuse Reviews series, strives to create a better understanding of the mechanisms of alcohol-induced liver disease, and thus to significantly aid physicians and researchers in the prevention and treatment of liver damage.Chapters focus on a wide variety of topics related to hepatic disease caused by-or due in large part to-the abuse of alcohol and other substances. Topics include: the role of alcohol in changing nutrition direct nutritional effects of alcohol on the liver brain-liver relationships generation of free radicals the role of free radicals in membrane changes, carcinogenesis, and lipid alterations liver adaptation to alcohol consumption influence of alcohol on skeletal muscle xanthine oxidase liver enzyme changes fetal alcohol syndrome other drugs of abuse, such as morphine, cocaine, marijuana, and caffeine.The prevalence of substance use and abuse in today's society suggests a steady increase in the incidence of liver disease-a major health problem that can only lessen if we become better able to understand and treat it.Ronald R. Watson's timely new volume on Liver Pathology and Alcohol makes a significant contribution to this process.