Alcohol Use Disorders and the Lung: A Clinical and Pathophysiological Approach is an excellent resource for clinicians who care for individuals affected by alcohol use disorders in diverse settings. Although alcohol abuse alone does not cause acute lung injury, it renders the lung susceptible to dysfunction in response to the inflammatory stresses of sepsis, trauma, and other clinical conditions recognized to cause acute lung injury. In parallel, these same pathophysiological effects of alcohol abuse significantly increase the risk of a wide range of serious lung infections. Many clinicians involved in the primary treatment of alcohol use disorders, such as addiction psychiatrists, will find this text of interest as it will expand their understanding of the health consequences of alcohol use disorders. In parallel, clinicians who specialize in pulmonary and/or critical care medicine will have a unique resource that provides a comprehensive review of the pathophysiology of alcohol-related lung disorders and insights into evolving therapeutic options in these vulnerable individuals. Alcohol Use Disorders and the Lung: A Clinical and Pathophysiological Approach fills a gap in the literature and presents the evolving clinical research that may soon lead to novel therapies that can improve lung health in individuals with alcohol use disorders and co-existing conditions such as HIV infection.

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A Brief History of Alcohol Use and Abuse in Human History.- Overview of the Evolving Recognition of the Health Effects of Excessive Alcohol Use Over the Past Two Centuries Including the Classic Citations.- Current Definitions of Alcohol Use Disorders and the Use of Validated Questionnaires in Clinical Practice and Research.- The Epidemiology of Alcohol Abuse and Pneumonia.- The Epidemiology of Alcohol and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.- Alcohol, the Upper Airway, and Mucociliary Dysfunction in the Conducting Airways.- Alcohol and the Alveolar Macrophage.- Alcohol and the Alveolar Epithelium.- Alcohol-Mediated Oxidative Stress in the Airway: The Unique Role of Thiol Depletion.- Alcohol and the Adaptive Immune Response in the Airway: Dendritic Cell and Lymphocyte Impairments.- Alcohol Impairment of Granulocyte Function During Lung Infection.- Disruption in the Dynamic Balance Between Transforming Growth Factor- and Granulocyte/Macrophage Colony-stimulating Factor Signaling within the Alveolar Space of the Alcoholic Lung: Impact on Epithelial and Macrophage Function.- Alcohol-mediated Zinc Deficiency within the Alveolar Space: A Potential Fundamental Mechanism Underlying Oxidative Stress and Cellular Dysfunction in the Alcoholic Lung.- The Impact of Alcohol Abuse on Multiple Organ Dysfunction in the Surgical Patient.- Alcohol and HIV: Experimental and Clinical Evidence of Combined Impact on the Lung.- Maternal Alcohol Use and the Neonate.