A blood marker for pharmacodynamic tolerance to alcohol.

The treatment of alcoholism may be delayed because of the difficulty in confirming a diagnosis. There are currently no direct blood tests to objectively determine the presence of pharmacodynamic tolerance to alcohol. The state of the membrane fluidity of the peripheral blood erythrocyte may provide a biophysical measurement of the pharmacodynamic tolerance to alcohol. This discussion proposes methods that potentially may be applied to the clinical purpose of diagnosing alcoholism in humans. The methods have been used to successfully measure pharmacodynamic tolerance in animals and humans. The development of the physiologic state of acquired tolerance and dependence is related to alcohol intake. Chronic alcohol consumption that leads to pharmacodynamic tolerance may be assessed by measuring the membrane fluidity of the peripheral blood erythrocyte. Physiologic recovery from tolerance and dependence to alcohol may also be assessed during withdrawal in which the reversal of changes in membrane fluidity is measured in the abstinent state. Relapse to drinking may be detected in the state of the membrane fluidity of the peripheral blood erythrocytes that reflect the return of tolerance and dependence. Tolerance to alcohol may be a manifestation of the inheritability to alcoholism. Alcoholics and high risk individuals appear to have an increased, innate (genetic) tolerance to alcohol. High risk individuals are nonalcoholic, blood relatives of alcoholics. Animal studies suggest that innate (genetic) tolerance and dependence to alcohol may be related to the biophysical state of erythrocyte membrane fluidity. The assessment of these changes in membrane fluidity of the erythrocyte may be performed in the peripheral blood in humans. A trait marker (in the genetically predisposed) for high risk individuals and a state (in the actively drinking) marker for pharmacodynamic tolerance in the erythrocyte might be developed. In this way, a blood test may be used to detect the inheritability for alcoholism and the development of pharmacodynamic tolerance to alcohol. No blood test for pharmacodynamic tolerance is currently available. This article represents an extrapolation from animal and human research data. The proposals contained therein may not be considered readily, clinically applicable.