Aims: To investigate the influence of the A1 allele of the TAQ1A polymorphism in the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) gene region on mortality in adult individuals with alcohol dependence.
Methods: The study sample consisted of 359 alcohol-dependent individuals treated for severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms in 1997. Years of survival was studied in an 18-year follow-up. In the analyses, gender and age were controlled for.
Results: At the 18-year follow-up, 53% individuals had deceased. The analyses showed that older age (P < 0.001), male gender (P < 0.05) and carrying the A1 allele (P < 0.01) all significantly and independently contributed to shorten years of survival. Among the deceased individuals, the genotype A1+ was the only significant contributor to shorten years of survival.
Conclusions: An important contribution of the present study is that in alcohol dependence the Taq1A1 allele of the DRD2 gene region is a risk factor for premature death of similar importance as the well-known risk factors of age and gender.
Short summary: We investigated the influence of A1 allele of the TAQ1A polymorphism in DRD2 receptor gene region on mortality in alcohol-dependent individuals in an 18-year follow-up. Age, gender and the A1 allele contributed to shorten years of survival. Among the deceased, the A1+ was the only contributor to shorten years of survival.