Alcohol intolerance

Synonyms: -

Material:

EDTA blood
(1 ml)

TAT:

1-2 weeks

Method:

S-SEQ

Overview

Alcohol intolerance manifests with symptoms such as facial flushing and heart palpitations after consumption of small amounts of alcohol and is caused by accumulation of the metabolite acetaldehyde due to altered enzyme activities in alcohol metabolism. Genetic variants such as the amino acid substitution p.(Arg48His) in the ADH1B gene and p.(Glu504Lys) in the ALDH2 gene lead to increased or absent enzyme activity, resulting in enhanced conversion of alcohol to acetaldehyde or inhibition of acetaldehyde degradation.

Alcohol intolerance

2 Gene(s)*

ADH1B

ALDH2

Clinical description

Frequency

Genetic alcohol intolerance occurs predominantly in Asian populations. The variant p.Arg48His in the ADH1B gene (ADH1B2 allele) and p.Glu504Lys in the ALDH2 gene (ALDH22 allele) is associated with increased alcohol sensitivity and is examined as part of routine diagnostics.

Allele frequencies for ADH1B and ALDH2 variants in European and Asian populations (adapted from Wernicke, Biospektrum 2005). The variants associated with alcohol intolerance are marked with “!”.

Genotype	North and West European populations	Asian populations
ADH1B*1	> 90%	10–30%
ADH1B*2 !	< 5%	70–90%
ALDH2*1	Very frequent	~50%
ALDH2*2 !	Rare	<50%

Causes

References

Created by

Our editorial team consists of medical specialists and scientists in the field of human genetics. All content is created and reviewed in accordance with current scientific standards.

Last Update : 25.09.2026

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