Once doctors have found this, they will look for the cause of the weakened heart. Cardiotoxicity refers to heart damage that occurs in response to certain drugs, such as alcohol. Muscular weakness may also be present because of the effect of alcohol on muscles (alcoholic myopathy). Ask any patient presenting with new heart failure of unclear etiology about their alcohol history, with attention to daily, maximal, and lifetime intake and the duration of that intake. They commonly include fatigue, shortness of breath, and swelling of the legs and feet. The best way to reduce your risk of developing alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy is to only drink in moderation.

How is alcoholic cardiomyopathy different from other types of heart failure?

• The cardiovascular system is, after the liver and gastrointestinal system, the second most affected system by global ethanol toxicity 1,33,34.
• Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a form of dilated cardiomyopathy (heart disease) caused by chronic alcohol consumption or long-term alcohol abuse.

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a serious heart condition caused by long-term, excessive alcohol consumption. It weakens the heart muscle, making it harder for the heart to pump blood effectively. Over time, this can lead to heart failure and other life-threatening complications. Recognized as a significant health issue, particularly in individuals with chronic alcohol use, alcoholic cardiomyopathy has been a concern for decades. This article provides a clear and compassionate overview of alcoholic cardiomyopathy, covering its risk factors, symptoms, diagnostic tests, treatments, and lifestyle changes that can help manage the condition. By understanding this condition better, patients can take Oxford House steps to improve their heart health and overall well-being.

What can I expect if I have this condition?

A healthy diet and exercise can help improve symptoms and reverse the damage to the heart. Keep in mind that with proper medications and lifestyle adjustments, which includes no alcohol, symptoms can be somewhat controlled. Most doctors encourage widespread education when it comes to alcohol consumption. The belief is that educating the public before they succumb to alcohol abuse is the best preventative measure. Your risk of developing an alcohol use disorder (AUD) depends on how much, how often, and how quickly you drink alcohol. On the other hand, the earliest sign of this disease can be a type of heart dysfunction where the heart can’t fill properly with blood which is often observed in about 30% of those with chronic alcohol abuse.

The Pattern of Drinking and Other Mediating Factors

You can experience heart failure if alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy is left untreated or worsens. Heart failure happens when the heart muscle becomes too weak and stops pumping blood normally. Most people who develop alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy have a history of heavy drinking—especially those who have been drinking heavily for 5 to 15 years. Men between 35 and 50 have a higher risk of developing alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy. The heart’s LV attempts https://ecosoberhouse.com/ to compensate for this damage by enlarging to achieve a higher blood output. This eventually limits the heart’s ability to pump oxygen-rich blood around the body.

In particular, mitochondrial DNA is highly susceptible to oxidative stress because of the close proximity to ROS generation and lack of protective histones and DNA repair mechanisms compared to nuclear DNA (55). Experimental studies analysing the depressive properties of alcohol on the cardiac muscle invariably use similar approaches31-39. Accordingly, a given amount of alcohol is administered to volunteers or alcoholics, followed by the measurement of a number of haemodynamic parameters and, in some cases, echocardiographic parameters. Generally, following alcohol intake, healthy, non-drinking individuals showed an increase in cardiac output due to a decline in peripheral arterial resistance and an increase in cardiac frequency31. However, during the time that these haemodynamic changes appeared, some researchers identified a possible decrease in the ejection fraction and other parameters related to systolic function32-39.

Doctors may suggest several strategies to facilitate this process, including support groups and counseling services, to help individuals maintain their commitment to sobriety. For more resources on dealing with substance abuse, visit our article on character defects. In severe cases, heart damage may be irreversible, and recovery can be challenging. Timely diagnosis and adherence to treatment can result in successful outcomes, with some recovery of heart function possible when alcohol consumption ceases 3. Chronic alcohol consumption produces a myriad of structural and biochemical alterations in the heart, that are observed both intracellular and extracellular 41-44.

• Others have examined the potential effects of micronutrient deficiencies (such as zinc) on ethanol-induced changes in the heart.
• In addition, ethanol induces mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis pathways with Bax and caspase activation 101.
• Autophagy is a catabolic mechanism carried out by lysosomes and is important for the degradation of unnecessary or damaged intracellular proteins, therefore keeping the cell healthy.

This oxidative stress contributes to inflammation and cell death within the myocardium. As heart cells die, they are replaced with fibrous tissue, which lacks the contractile function of healthy muscle and further weakens the heart. Since cardiac myocytes are excitable cells, and ethanol may easily damage this excitation–contraction mechanism, disruption of this coupling mechanism is involved in the ACM pathogenic process 19,58. Ethanol may produce the modification of sarcolemmal membrane L-type Ca2+ channels, leading to a decrease in transmembrane electrically induced Ca2+ transients 85,103,127. One of the most relevant targets of ethanol in the membrane is the disruption of membrane receptor composition and activities 86. The ryanodine L-type Ca2+ receptor at the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is also significantly affected by ethanol in a dose-dependent manner 86,102.

The effect is much like how a rubber band or spring weakens when stretched too much. Alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy is a relatively uncommon condition, occurring in about 1% to 2% of people who consume more than the recommended amounts of alcohol. Alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy can affect anyone who consumes too much alcohol, even those alcoholic cardiomyopathy who don’t have alcohol use disorder.

Death might also be sudden due to arrhythmias, heart conduction block, and systemic or pulmonary embolism. This was an excellent result long before ACE inhibitors or betablockers were available for heart failure treatment 57. The natural course of ACM is mainly related to the degree of persistence in alcohol consumption and the individual biological adaptive response 2,20,41,56,81. Ethanol abstinence allows for recovery in the majority of cases, including in those with previous severe depression of LV EF 81,88,135.

What Causes Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy (Alcohol-related Heart Damage)?

Therefore, many ACM subjects are not able to effectively control their alcohol-consumption rates. Therefore, any decrease in the previous quantity of alcohol consumption may improve, to some degree, cardiac health 51. Since ACM is related to frequent perioperative events and high postoperative morbidity 139, detection and treatment of ACM is compulsory to avoid anesthetic and surgical complications 140.