EN
There are a number of epidemiological studies concerning the gender
differences in the genetic etiology of alcohol dependence (AD), with
ADH2 and ALDH2 being strong candidates. The purpose of this study
was to investigate gender differences in frequencies of ADH2 and ALDH2
genotypes in AD patients and in a normal control (NC) group of Koreans.
Study subjects consisted of 228 AD patients (180 males, 48 females) and
138 NC (79 males, 59 females). For both male and female subjects, the
frequency of the ADH2*1/1 genotype was significantly higher in AD patients
compared to the NC group. However, the effect size of the ADH2*1/1
genotype on AD was much larger in females than in males. Furthermore,
the ALDH2*1/1 genotype was positively associated with AD in male
subjects but negatively associated with AD in female patients. Interestingly,
AD in males was primarily determined by ALDH2 enzyme activity (92%),
whereas female AD was primarily determined by ADH2 enzyme activity
(60.4%). These results suggest that risk for the development of AD in
males is mainly associated with the ALDH2*1/1 genotype, while in female
patients, the ADH2*1/1 genotype was more highly associated with risk of
AD. Overall, it is evident that gender differences associated with genetic
risks for AD are present.