News — Adverse experiences in childhood and heavy alcohol use may alter the body’s immune system. A study of adults with alcohol use disorder published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research found that those who had experienced trauma as children and those who drank heavily had differences in the levels of certain antibodies responsible for warding off disease. These findings suggest that stress during childhood and heavy drinking may each increase susceptibility to disease in adulthood.
Prior studies have shown that people who have experienced childhood trauma are more likely to begin drinking at younger ages, use alcohol to cope, and develop alcohol use disorder. Both short- and long-term alcohol use have been shown to affect the immune system, with chronic heavy drinking chronic associated with increased susceptibility to infection and an increased risk of death from all causesThis study sought to examine specific parts of the immune system and their relationship to childhood trauma and heavy alcohol use. Researchers analyzed the amounts of immunoglobulin A, G, and M in blood samples of more than 400 adults in treatment for alcohol use disorder in order to explore the effects of alcohol use and childhood trauma on the immune system. Immunoglobulins are antibodies the body develops when exposed to a pathogen and help the body fight the infection, but they also play a role in several other diseases, such as cancer or liver diseases.
The study found that people who had experienced trauma as children had lower levels of Immunoglobulin G (IgG), and the more severe the experience of the trauma, the lower the IgG levels. These lower levels appeared to be related to cumulative stress from traumatic experiences in childhood rather than any one type of stress, although physical abuse was also correlated with differences in levels in immunoglobulin A (IgA), but not other antibodies.
Additionally, the study found heavy alcohol use to be associated with higher levels of Immunoglobulin A, and the more a person drank on days they did drink, the higher their IgA levels. These increased IgA levels may signal greater susceptibility for alcohol-associated liver disease. The study did not find a combined effect on immunoglobulins related to alcohol consumption and childhood trauma. The study also found that substance use disorder was associated with lower levels of IgA, which may indicate a larger link between IgA levels and addiction in general. Anxiety disorder was associated with lower IgG.
This study’s findings align with prior studies that have found a link between immune dysregulation, heavy alcohol consumption, and adverse childhood experiences. The self-reported nature of the assessment related to childhood trauma and alcohol use may limit the accuracy of participants’ childhood trauma and alcohol use severity scores that were analyzed in this study. Additionally, other factors affect immunoglobulin levels, such as other stressors, health status, and lifestyle. More research is needed to determine the mechanisms by which the immune system is affected by alcohol consumption and childhood trauma.
This study reveals immunoglobulins may be an important indicator of a link between alcohol consumption and childhood trauma with immune system functioning and the progression of disease.
Alcohol consumption and childhood trauma impact serum immunoglobulin levels in patients with alcohol use disorder. K. Abshire, M. Schwandt, N. Diazgranados, M. Farokhnia, L. Leggio
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