Discovered a gene alcoholic hepatitis
Regular alcohol abuse can lead to damage to various organs: some have primarily affected the nervous system, while others - the kidneys, at the third - the pancreas. However, often there are liver disease. Modern genetic technology to help determine which organs are most vulnerable to the toxic effects of alcohol.
British Genetics, conducted a study designed to identify the genetic factors that influence susceptibility to the development of alcoholic hepatitis. They studied 860 people with acute alcoholic hepatitis, and in 1191 a person abuses alcohol, but without evidence of liver disease. Geneticists have used a technique known as genome-wide association study. The essence of this method is to search for links (associations) small variations in the nucleotide sequences of the DNA with features of external and internal features of an organism, for example, growth, weight or predisposition to disease. At the same time analyzes the individual characteristics of thousands of genes. You can then take two groups of people differing in any one characteristic, such as addiction to any disease. Comparing the features of genes in one or the other group, you can identify which variation of the gene most often occur in people exposed to the disease. The data obtained are analyzed to confirm the significance of the differences between the two groups.
Using this approach, the authors describe the studies found variation in PNPLA3 gene, which is more common in people with acute alcoholic hepatitis. The likelihood of developing this disease in the carrier of the gene variation, alcohol abuse was 2.2 times higher than the drinkers who were not PNPLA3 gene. They also found that carriers of one of the variations of another gene - SLC38A4 - is also likely to develop alcoholic hepatitis: the risk of occurrence of such people was higher by about 1.3 times than that of people who have this gene is absent.
Thus, the discovery will made by a genetic test to identify among the people who abuse alcohol, those who are at increased risk of developing acute alcoholic hepatitis. It is worth noting that this disease is very dangerous. It develops very quickly, without any prior symptoms and often leads to death.
British Genetics, conducted a study designed to identify the genetic factors that influence susceptibility to the development of alcoholic hepatitis. They studied 860 people with acute alcoholic hepatitis, and in 1191 a person abuses alcohol, but without evidence of liver disease. Geneticists have used a technique known as genome-wide association study. The essence of this method is to search for links (associations) small variations in the nucleotide sequences of the DNA with features of external and internal features of an organism, for example, growth, weight or predisposition to disease. At the same time analyzes the individual characteristics of thousands of genes. You can then take two groups of people differing in any one characteristic, such as addiction to any disease. Comparing the features of genes in one or the other group, you can identify which variation of the gene most often occur in people exposed to the disease. The data obtained are analyzed to confirm the significance of the differences between the two groups.
Using this approach, the authors describe the studies found variation in PNPLA3 gene, which is more common in people with acute alcoholic hepatitis. The likelihood of developing this disease in the carrier of the gene variation, alcohol abuse was 2.2 times higher than the drinkers who were not PNPLA3 gene. They also found that carriers of one of the variations of another gene - SLC38A4 - is also likely to develop alcoholic hepatitis: the risk of occurrence of such people was higher by about 1.3 times than that of people who have this gene is absent.
Thus, the discovery will made by a genetic test to identify among the people who abuse alcohol, those who are at increased risk of developing acute alcoholic hepatitis. It is worth noting that this disease is very dangerous. It develops very quickly, without any prior symptoms and often leads to death.