Assessment of hepatic and cardiac enzymes among adult male alcoholics in Ilorin Metropolis, Kwara State Nigeria

Alcoholic beverages, containing ethanol, have been consumed from time immemorial, playing a significant role in human social life, culture and history. Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with sociability and relaxation but it's abuse can lead to a wide range of physiological and pathological health challenge. This case-control cross-sectional study involving 80 adult male alcoholics and 40 non -alcoholic who served as controls was conducted to assess the effect of alcohol consumption on hepatic and cardiac enzymes among the Alcoholics. Plasma hepatic and cardiac enzymes were assayed in one hundred and twenty adult males' alcoholics recruited from selected popular beer parlours or bars in Ilorin North Central, Nigeria, and were grouped into: mild and chronic alcohol and non-alcohol consumers as control. Reference analytical methods were employed to assay the hepatic and cardiac enzymes in both the study and control subjects. Plasma ALT, AST and ALP, LDH and Troponin enzyme activities in both mild and chronic alcoholics were significantly elevated (p<0.05) when compared to the non-alcoholics. The plasma hepatic and cardiac enzymes activities assayed in the chronic alcoholics were also significantly higher (p<0.05) than the values obtained among the mild alcohol drinkers. Alcohol consumption has dose-response effect on the alcoholics. Mild or chronic alcoholism have deleterious effects on the physiological and biochemical regulations of plasma enzymes both the hepatic and cardiac enzymes activities in the mild and chronic alcoholics were dysregulated and was precipitated by the effect of addicted alcohol consumption.