Biochemistry of human disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Biochemistry of human disease - Essay Example This hepatic dysfunction has led to jaundice as apparent from the yellowish discoloration of the while of his eyes and skin, and this has established a vicious cycle of malnutrition, alcohol intake, hepatitis, jaundice, and malnutrition. Moreover, his blood glucose level is 1.7 mmol/L (fasting reference interval, 3.0-5.5 mmol/L). In alcoholic liver disease, nutritional deficiencies are common and complicate the management. The liver disease in this patient is significant due to presence of jaundice and low blood sugars at presentation. In a habituated alcoholic, an ethanol level of 43 mmol/L or 0.2 g/dL usually does not cause stupor in contrast to that of a nonhabituated patient, where it causes impaired mental activity. Although a habituated man can remain awake even at levels >87 mmoL/L or 0.4 g/dL with the rise in the level of tolerance, usually a nonhabituated man would be stuporous at >65 mmol/L (0.3g/dL) and would lose consciousness at >87. This patient was also hypoglycemic. T hus, as expected, this man is not expected to be unresponsive with the level of alcohol at 0.36% or 80 mmol/L, and it is the hypoglycemia that has made him unresponsive. Based on this background the following questions will now be answered. About 10 percent of consumed alcohol is absorbed from the stomach, the remainder from the small intestine. Once alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream, it is distributed to all body tissues. Because alcohol is uniformly dissolved in the bodys water, tissues containing a high proportion of water receive a high concentration of alcohol. About 90 percent of absorbed alcohol is metabolized through oxidation in the liver; the remaining 10 percent is excreted unchanged by the kidneys and lungs. In persons with a history of excessive alcohol consumption, upregulation of the necessary enzymes results in rapid alcohol metabolism. Alcohol is metabolized by two enzymes: alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) in the