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World J Gastroenterol. Oct 28, 2014; 20(40): 14652-14659
Published online Oct 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i40.14652
Published online Oct 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i40.14652
Alcoholic disease: Liver and beyond
Alba Rocco, Debora Compare, Debora Angrisani, Marco Sanduzzi Zamparelli, Gerardo Nardone, Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University Federico II of Naples, 80131 Naples, Italy
Author contributions: Rocco A and Sanduzzi Zamparelli M contributed to writing the article; Rocco A, Compare D, Angrisani D and Sanduzzi Zamparelli M contributed to draft the article; Angrisani D and Sanduzzi Zamparelli M contributed to the acquisition of the data; Nardone G contributed to critically revise the manuscript; All authors approved the final version of the paper.
Correspondence to: Gerardo Nardone, MD, Professor, Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University Federico II of Naples, Via S Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy. nardone@unina.it
Telephone: +39-81-7462158 Fax: +39-81-7464293
Received: November 29, 2013
Revised: May 7, 2014
Accepted: May 19, 2014
Published online: October 28, 2014
Processing time: 333 Days and 20.4 Hours
Revised: May 7, 2014
Accepted: May 19, 2014
Published online: October 28, 2014
Processing time: 333 Days and 20.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Alcohol abuse represents the world’s third largest risk factor for disease and disability. According to a “hepatocentric” vision of the problem, liver has been considered for long time the main victim of the harmful use of alcohol. However, growing evidence suggests that alcoholic disease should not be considered limited to the liver but as a true systemic disease including damage to the digestive tract, the central and peripheral nervous systems, the heart and vascular system, the bone and skeletal muscle, the endocrine and immune systems and disruption of nutritional status and finally cancer.