Frequent alcohol consumption and Covid-19

News

Increased risk of infection and complications possible

by Torsten Lauer

(21.02.2023) Studies from animal models suggest that frequent alcohol consumption can lead to an increased risk of corona infection and represents a potential for complications in the course of the disease. This is the conclusion reached by researchers at the Central Institute for Mental Health (ZI) in Mannheim.

The corona pandemic has presented many people with a major challenge. As a result, the incidence of mental illness has steadily increased and alcohol has become a popular means of escaping the worries of everyday life. Many risk factors such as B. Age and obesity, which contribute to infection and an unfavorable course of corona disease, are known. However, it has not yet been clarified to what extent alcohol consumption influences infection with the SARS-CoV2 coronavirus, or whether alcohol consumption also contributes to an unfavorable course of Covid-19 disease. This knowledge gap is astounding given that 2.2 billion people consume alcohol regularly.

Covid markers in long-term alcohol consumption

Researchers at the Institute for Psychopharmacology at the Central Institute for Mental Health (ZI) in Mannheim have now addressed this question. In several animal models of long-term alcohol consumption and addiction, they examined the expression of the most important Covid markers in different organs that are considered vulnerable to the disease and potential complications.

The team around Prof. Dr. Rainer Spanagel found that the coronavirus entry receptor, ACE2, is elevated in the lungs of all animal models studied. “We interpret the results in such a way that the risk of a corona infection is increased due to the increased possibility of entry of the virus,” says Rainer Spanagel. The lungs are considered a very susceptible organ to infection with SARS-CoV2. Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) often occurs in severe Covid-19 diseases. “So our work initially indicates that frequent alcohol consumption can lead to an increased risk of corona infection and represents a potential for complications in the course of the disease,” says Spanagel.

Reduction of MAS-Gens

Once the cells are infected by the coronavirus, a cascade is triggered that kills the virus in the cells. One of the initial factors for this cascade is MAS, a gene with an anti-inflammatory effect, which is therefore a protective factor in relation to corona disease. In the animals that consumed alcohol, the reduction in this gene was measured in a part of the brain responsible for smell.

A lower concentration of the MAS gene can lead to a reduced immune response in these cells, allowing the virus to continue spreading undisturbed. The researchers interpreted the reduction in the MAS gene in this brain region as a potentially increased susceptibility to ansomia – the loss of the ability to smell. Alcohol consumption might therefore also be a risk factor for long-lasting loss of smell in the case of corona disease.

This study thus provides new insights that indicate that alcohol consumption has a potential effect on the general risk of corona infection and complications associated with the disease. In order to further investigate the impact of these effects, clarifying epidemiological studies on patients are urgently needed. idw.-