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Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase C677T‐Polymorphism and Its Association With Alcohol Withdrawal Seizure
Author(s) -
Lutz Ulrich C.,
Batra Anil,
Kolb Werner,
Machicao Fausto,
Maurer Sandra,
Köhnke Michael D.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2006.00242.x
Subject(s) - methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase , medicine , allele , allele frequency , alcohol , homocysteine , family history , gastroenterology , alcohol consumption , polymorphism (computer science) , alcohol dependence , endocrinology , biology , genetics , biochemistry , gene
Background: Elevated homocysteine plasma levels are considered as a risk factor for the occurrence of seizures during alcohol withdrawal. Homocysteine plasma concentrations seem to be influenced by the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T‐polymorphism. It was investigated whether the T‐allele of the MTHFR C677T‐polymorphism is associated with alcohol dependence, alcohol withdrawal seizure (WS), or the daily amount of alcohol consumption. Methods: A group of 102 healthy controls and 221 alcoholic patients, including 97 patients with a history of mild withdrawal symptoms (MWS) and 70 patients with a history of alcohol WS, were genotyped, and personal data were collected for statistical evaluation in a case–control design. Results: The T‐allele is significantly associated with WS by comparing alcoholic patients with a history of WS (T‐allele frequency: 0.39) and healthy controls (T‐allele frequency: 0.28) ( p =0.03). Although there was no significant difference between alcoholic patients with only MWS and alcoholic patients with a history of WS, a trend for the T‐allele frequency among the analyzed subgroups was noticed: T‐allele frequency increased from f ( T )=0.28 in healthy controls to f ( T )=0.33 in alcoholic patients with MWS up to f ( T )=0.40 in alcohol‐dependent men having a WS. Differences between healthy male controls and male alcoholic patients concerning the T‐allele frequency also turned out to be significant [ f ( T )=0.27 vs f ( T )=0.37; p =0.03]. Daily alcohol intake was independent of T‐allele carrier status in alcohol‐dependent patients. Conclusion: The present study suggests an influence of the MTHFR C677T‐polymorphism on the etiology of alcohol WS and alcohol dependence in men in a western European population. An influence of MTHFR C677T on the daily amount of alcohol intake before admission among alcohol‐dependent patients could not be shown.