Substance-related Disorders

BALTIMORE -- A genome-wide analysis has found 51 genetic regions that appear to be linked to alcoholism, including genes involved in cell signaling, gene regulation, and development, among other things.

BOSTON - The path to alcoholism starts with a drink at a remarkably young age, according to a study here.

A 32-year-old man presented with a yellow, papular rash on the buttocks and extensor surfaces. His medical history included diabetes mellitus, alcoholism, obesity, and polysubstance abuse. Laboratory results disclosed a serum triglyceride level of 5,793 mg/dL.

A 66-year-old man presented to the emergency department complaining of vomiting “coffee ground” emesis for 3 days. His history revealed chronic alcoholism for the last 30 years.

A 57-year-old man was brought to the emergency department with fever, chills, and a productive cough of 1-week's duration. He had a history of alcoholism.

This contorted hand of a 49-year-old man demonstrates Dupuytren's contracture, a disorder first described by Baron Guillaume Dupuytren in 1831. Although the condition may occur as a completely independent abnormality, it is commonly associated with chronic liver disease, diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, palmar fasciitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, pulmonary tuberculosis, and alcoholism. This patient had a history of alcohol abuse.

Twenty-four hours after a car accident, a 47-year-old man with chronic low back pain-which had been diagnosed years earlier as "arthritis" of the spine-presented with back and chest pain and requested an opioid analgesic. The patient had a history of alcoholism and illicit drug use. Tenderness of the thoracic area was noted.

Bullae had recently appeared on the dorsa of the hands and fingers of a 46-year-old man. His medical history was significant for alcoholism, discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), and hepatitis C. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was ruled out; the patient’s symptoms did not meet the American Rheumatism Association criteria for SLE.