Impairment of hepatic drug metabolism in alcoholics.

1 The effects of chronic ethanol intake on the elimination kinetics of antipyrine were determined in nineteen male alcoholic subjects with comparison made to fourteen male volunteers. 2 Half-lives were longer and clearance values less in the alcoholic group. 3 Significant rank correlations were found between half-life and clearance when compared with various biochemical parameters of liver function measured in the plasma of the alcoholics. 4 These results show that a significant proportion of the alcoholics studied had impaired hepatic drug metabolizing capacity and that the activity of hepatic microsomal enzymes may be related to the extent of ethanol induced liver damage in these subjects.