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Date of Award
Spring 2024
Degree Name
Master of Medical Science (Physician Assistant)
Department
Physician Assistant; College of Health Sciences
First Advisor
Timothy Besse
Abstract
Education on drinking habits have been and should be a routine discussion between patients and their medical providers. In college, most students are introduced to alcohol and binge drinking for the first time, usually without guidance or education on how to handle intoxication. In the Asian population, a common phenomena occurs after drinking known popularly as “Asian glow”, where symptoms of facial flushing, body warmth, tachycardia, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and diaphoresis are exacerbated compared to non-Asian drinkers.
Caused by a variant allele in mitochondrial DNA, about 40-50% of East Asians are affected by this exacerbation of symptoms of alcohol flush.2 This reaction can cause unsafe binge drinking practices for those affected, specifically college students who are drinking for the first time in their lives. Online forums and blogs publish their own thoughts on this issue and how to combat it, usually recommending cessation of drinking or over the counter medications that mask symptoms. Utilizing medical journals and current research surrounding the phenomena known as “Asian glow”, providers can open safe discussions with their patients who are affected and can advise them on safe drinking practices to prevent alcohol overdose, or misuse of remedies that may not solve the problem at all. This article aims to educate medical providers on alcohol flush, the populations it mainly affects, and how to manage and educate college aged patients in a primary care setting. Having knowledge of this issue that affects a large population of patients can allow providers to be prepared to have difficult conversations with patients and inform them that these reactions can be controlled and managed if a patient does choose to drink alcohol.
Recommended Citation
Brown, Taylor, "Alcohol Flush Education and Management in the Asian Population in a Primary Care Setting" (2024). Capstone Showcase. 10.
https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/showcase/2024/pa/10
Alcohol Flush Education and Management in the Asian Population in a Primary Care Setting
Education on drinking habits have been and should be a routine discussion between patients and their medical providers. In college, most students are introduced to alcohol and binge drinking for the first time, usually without guidance or education on how to handle intoxication. In the Asian population, a common phenomena occurs after drinking known popularly as “Asian glow”, where symptoms of facial flushing, body warmth, tachycardia, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and diaphoresis are exacerbated compared to non-Asian drinkers.
Caused by a variant allele in mitochondrial DNA, about 40-50% of East Asians are affected by this exacerbation of symptoms of alcohol flush.2 This reaction can cause unsafe binge drinking practices for those affected, specifically college students who are drinking for the first time in their lives. Online forums and blogs publish their own thoughts on this issue and how to combat it, usually recommending cessation of drinking or over the counter medications that mask symptoms. Utilizing medical journals and current research surrounding the phenomena known as “Asian glow”, providers can open safe discussions with their patients who are affected and can advise them on safe drinking practices to prevent alcohol overdose, or misuse of remedies that may not solve the problem at all. This article aims to educate medical providers on alcohol flush, the populations it mainly affects, and how to manage and educate college aged patients in a primary care setting. Having knowledge of this issue that affects a large population of patients can allow providers to be prepared to have difficult conversations with patients and inform them that these reactions can be controlled and managed if a patient does choose to drink alcohol.