The genetics of alcoholisms and related disorders

The inheritance of alcohol abuse and other psychopathology in 862 men and 913 women adopted by non-relatives, was studied. Both male and female adoptees were at greater risk to develop alcohol abuse if their biological, but not their adoptive, parents were alcoholic. Three types of families with alcoholism were distinguished that differed in frequency of alcohol abuse, somatoform disorders in women and in relation to antisocial behaviour in male adoptees. The combination of both genetic and environmental risk factors was necessary for the development of alcoholism in the most common, milieu-limited type of alcoholism. In families with a less common, male-limited, type of vulnerability, alcohol abuse was highly heritable in men, but women had multiple somatic complaints and seldom abuse. In a third type of family the common vulnerability was expressed as antisocial behaviour with violent criminality and recurrent alcohol abuse in males, but as high frequency somatization in female relatives.     

Seroprevalence and risk factors for hepatitis C virus antibody in pregnant women.

OBJECTIVE: To better understand hepatitis C viropathies and seroprevalence by performing an epidemiologic analysis of pregnant women seropositive for antibody against hepatitis C. METHODS: We studied 1013 consecutive obstetric patients at Parkland Memorial Hospital who gave informed consent for detailed interviews and serotesting. Sera were analyzed for antibody to the hepatitis C virus using both C100-3 and RIBA-4 assays. Neonatal assessment was carried out in the immediate postpartum period. RESULTS: Hepatitis C antibody was detected in 2.28% (N = 23) of the 1005 women in whom analysis was completed. Factors associated with seropositivity included intravenous (IV) drug use, sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis B infection, maternal age greater than 22.5 years, increased parity (eg, greater than 2.1), history of transfusion, and three or more different lifetime sexual partners or a sexual partner who used IV drugs. Maternal and neonatal outcome was not different between hepatitis C antibody-positive and -negative groups. CONCLUSIONS: Epidemiologic data are consistent with sexual and parenteral modes of transmission. Women with hepatitis C antibody did not have excessive perinatal complications compared with antibody-negative women. A model protocol and cost analysis for screening pregnant women for hepatitis C infection are presented. However, routine screening for hepatitis C is not advocated.