School of Medicine - Year 2 MBChB Curriculum

GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM LECTURE BLOCK        Professor Barry Campbell

Lecture 15: "Metabolism of alcohol - Alcohol's trip through the body"


Objective: - To develop an understanding of:
  1. alcohol measures, absorption and safe limits
  2. the absorption of alcohol from the GI tract to the tissues and organs of the body
  3. the metabolic processes for breakdown of alcohol
  4. tissue damage caused by excess alcohol (GI tract, liver, pancreas and other tissues)
  5. how damage to hepatocytes leads to fibrous scar tissue characteristic of the cirrhotic liver and what causes fatty liver.
  6. the effect of alcohol intoxication on normal bodily functions      
Lecture handout (PDF format)             Powerpoint presentation (PDF format)

Useful resources