Supriya Garapati¹, Lakshmi Jyothi Tadi²*, Ariyanachi K³ and Pravin P⁴

¹Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bibinagar, India
²Additional Professor, Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bibinagar, India
³Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bibinagar, India
⁴Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Hyderabad, India

*Corresponding Author: Lakshmi Jyothi Tadi, Additional Professor, Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bibinagar, India.

Received: August 19,2021 Published: September 22, 2021

Citation: Lakshmi Jyothi Tadi., et al. “COVID-19 and Alcohol - A Review". Acta Scientific Microbiology 5.10 (2021): 125-130.

Abstract

Background: Alcohol use has been associated to a number of disorders, including SARS-CoV-2 infection since Alcohol can have a negative impact on the immune system through multiple pathophysiological mechanisms like reducing the number of T lymphocytes, favoring a pro-inflammatory status through an increased level of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor alfa (TNF α) and interleukins 1 and 6 (IL-1, IL-6), by decreasing the function, number of NK (Natural Killers) cells responsible for removing infected or malignant cells, disturbing the macrophage functions in the lung alveoli and damage to the respiratory ciliated cells which plays an essential role in filtering pathogenic microorganisms. It can also worsen mental and biological conditions, as well as predispose to behaviour that increase the risk of infection and disease severity, though not necessarily sociopathic or violent behaviour. Another important factor is malnutrition secondary to excessive alcohol intake.

Introduction: Alcohol misuse impairs both the innate and adaptive immune systems, potentially lowering resistance to the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and speeding up the onset of coronavirus illness (COVID-19). Alcohol use has been associated to several disorders, including SARS-CoV-2 infection since Alcohol can have a negative impact on the immune system through multiple pathophysiological mechanisms.

Aims and Objectives

• To review the relationship between Covid-19 and alcoholism
• To learn about the illness signs of alcohol use in Covid-19
• To compare the mortality of alcoholics and non-alcoholics in the covid-19 population.
• To learn about the effects of alcohol withdrawal in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Methodology: Data was gathered from PubMed Central, Medscape, NCBI's website, PMC, and BMJ journals, among other sources. The data on the relationship between alcohol and Covid-19 has been examined, analysed, and summarised in this publication.

Review: When it comes to COVID-19, patients with alcohol use disorder or alcohol-related liver disease, as well as relevant comorbidities, are at a higher risk.

The World Health Organization (World Health Organization, 2020) [26] and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2020) [27] have issued comments stating that heavy alcohol consumption does not prevent COVID-19 infection.

Mucociliary clearance is regarded to be the first line of defence against inhaled pathogenic microorganisms, even though alcohol has long been known to decrease coughing (Calesnick and Vernick, 1971). Heavy drinking disrupts the cilia's cyclic nucleotide pathway, limiting cilia beat frequency from increasing (Wyatt and Sisson, 2001) [28].

Discussion: Alcohol raises the risk of death and worsens the symptoms of ARDS. By increasing alveolar barrier permeability, alcohol consumption affects the oxidative stress response and makes the lungs more sensitive to oedematous stress. AUD is often associated with comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease, which also increase the risk for complications in COVID-19 [34].

Conclusion: Alcohol influences practically every lung cell. Most of these modifications may increase the likelihood of COVID-19 infection and more severe pneumonia or ARDS in heavy drinkers.

Keywords: Alcohol; Covid-19; SARS-CoV-2; ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome)

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Copyright: © 2021 Lakshmi Jyothi Tadi., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.