Worldwide, different studies have reported an association of alcohol-use disorder (AUD) with different types of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes for aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH).
Previous studies have shown that variation in the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) genes may affect the risk for development of AUD and that the prevalence of these variants differs depending on the ancestral origins of a population.
Several potential genetic susceptibility factors for AUD have been identified, but the genes of alcohol metabolism, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), have been found to be protective against the development of AUD.
The relationship between alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) polymorphisms and alcohol use disorders in populations of African descent has not been clearly established.