Alcohol Use Disorder Research Roundup: April 5, 2024

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April is Alcohol Awareness Month. In this Research Roundup, we explore new studies on treatments, biomarkers, and coping mechanisms associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Efficacy of AUD Medication Initiation at Hospital Discharge

This cohort study investigated the impact of initiating medications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for AUD at hospital discharge on 30-day post-hospitalization outcomes among patients with Medicare Part D. The study found that discharge initiation of AUD medications was associated with a significant decrease in the composite outcome of all-cause mortality or return to hospital within 30 days, as well as a reduced incidence of alcohol-related return to hospital.

The investigators concluded that, “these findings support efforts to increase uptake of [initiation of medications for AUD] at hospital discharge.”

Reference

Bernstein EY, Baggett TP, Trivedi S, et al. Outcomes after initiation of medications for alcohol use disorder at hospital discharge. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(3):e243387.

Biomarkers of Cognitive Impairment in AUD

In this pilot study, researchers investigated potential biomarkers of oxidative stress as predictive indices for cognitive impairment (CI) in abstinent patients with AUD. They found that circulating biomarkers including ROS/RNS, HMGB1, sRAGE, ApoD, and NRF2 showed significant differences between patients with AUD, patients with Alzheimer disease, and control subjects.

Specifically, higher levels of sRAGE, ROS/RNS, and ApoD were observed in abstinent patients with AUD with CI, and a predictive model incorporating these biomarkers accurately differentiated patients with AUD with CI from those without CI. These findings suggest the potential clinical value of these biomarkers in predicting cognitive impairment in AUD patients.

Reference

Rodríguez de Fonseca F, Medina-Paz F, Sapozhnikov M, et al. Plasma concentrations of high mobility group box 1 proteins and soluble receptors for advanced glycation end-products are relevant biomarkers of cognitive impairment in alcohol use disorder: a pilot study. Toxics. 2024;12(3):190.

Coping Mechanisms in Wives of Individuals With Alcohol Dependence

This study explored coping strategies employed by wives of individuals with alcohol dependence through focus group discussions. The findings indicate that wives of individuals with alcohol dependence utilize various coping mechanisms including emotion-focused, problem-focused, and avoidance coping to address the challenges of living with a husband with alcohol dependence.

“This study highlighted the effective coping strategies adapted by wives of individuals with alcohol dependence to tackle the hardships related to their husbands’ alcoholic behavior, and most of the wives of individuals with alcohol dependence used emotion-focused coping,” the investigators concluded. “This study provided valuable insights into the coping strategies used by wives of alcoholics and the challenges they faced in managing their spouses’ addiction.”

Reference

Quadras J, Anitharani M, Pradeep RJ. Exploring effective coping strategies for wives living with spouses who have alcohol dependence: Insights from focus group discussions. J Educ Health Promot. 2024;13:59.

Note: This Research Roundup was prepared with the assistance of ChatGPT.

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