Plasma ADH activity in alcohol dependent subjects: Indian data

Alcohol liver disease is accompanied by elevation of several enzymes. Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), the principal enzyme responsible for alcohol metabolism, is also deranged due to hepatocellular dysfunction following the excessive alcohol consumption. There is no Indian data on plasma ADH activity among alcoholics. Plasma ADH activity along with AST, ALT and GGT has been measured among 40 alcoholics and 38 control subjects. ADH activity was higher in alcoholics as a group when compared to controls. However, ADH activity was significantly higher among alcoholics with prominent liver dysfunction as manifested by higher GGT and AST values. Thus, higher ADH activity reflects the severity of liver damage due to alcohol.