Alcohol Hangover-Clinical Effect

Alcohol Hangover : Unpleasant physical and mental symptoms like fatigue, headache, dizziness, muscle aches, and thirst after heavy alcohol drinking.

How alcohol contributes to a hangover :


1) Dehydration and electrolyte imbalance :

Fluid lost through :

• vomitting
• diarrhea

i) Alcohol inhibits the release of antideuretic hormone

ii)reduced levels of antideuretic hormone prevent the kidney from reabsorbing water

iii) increase urine production

iv) fluid loss

electrolyte imbalance:

• Sweating - water evaporates from the body and release salts, eg. Sodium(Na+), Potassium(K+), Magnesium (Mg+), Calcium (Ca 2+), Chloride (Cl-)

2) Gastrointestinal Disturbances

i) alcohol increases the production of gastric acid, pancreatic and intestinal secretions

ii) Irritates ths stomach and intestines

iii) Inflammation of the stomach lining

iv) Cause upper abdominal pain, nausea and vomitting.

3) Low Blood Sugar (hypoglycemia - fatigue, weakness and mood disturbances {symptoms of hangover})

i) Too much intake of alcohol

ii) ethanol >>>>>> acetaldehyde (by enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase)

iii) acetaldehyde >>>>>acetic acid (by enzyme alcetaldehyde dehydrogenase)

iv) NAD+ >>>> NADH (reaction (ii) and (iii) cause this reaction to occur)

v) lactate + NAD+ >>><<<<> >>>>>pyruvate + NADH

pyruvate >>>>>>> glucose (glyconeogenesis)

v) more NADH, (reverse reaction) , more lactate which leads to lactic acidosis

vi) less pyruvate, less glucose formation and hence hypoglycemia

_____________________________

i) Prolonged alcohol consumption

ii) poor nutritional intake

iii) decrease glucose production

iv) glucose stored in liver in the form of glycogen is used

v) more glucose is lost

vi) hypoglycemia

Effect of Hangover :

Disruption of sleep and other biologucal rhythms :

The fatigue experienced during a hangover results from alcohol's distruptive effects on sleep. Alcohol induced sleep may be shorter duration and poorer quality because of rebound excitation after blood alcohol concentration fall.

Alcohol intoxication also interferes with the circadian nightime secretion of growth hormone, whici is important in bone growth and protein synthesis.

Alcohol induces the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone from the pituitary gland, which in turn stimulates the release of cortison, a hormone that plays a role in carbohydrate metabolism and stress response. Alcohol disrupt the normal circadian rise and fall or cortisol levels. Overall, alcohol's disruption of circadian induces a "jet lag" that is hypothesized to account for some of the deleterious effects of a hangover.

Link :

http://www.reactivehypoglycemia.net/alcohol-and-hypoglycemia.html

http://biology.about.com/library/weekly/aa010104a.htm