Alcohol-Induced Cardiomyopathy: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

As you reduce your alcohol intake, your provider will also treat your symptoms. This usually involves certain types of medications that treat heart rhythm problems or other symptoms of heart failure. Those who don’t fully recover are also likely to need this kind of treatment indefinitely. In some cases, a pacemaker or other implantable device might be necessary to treat more severe heart rhythm problems. Treatment for this condition starts with helping you reduce your alcohol intake or stop drinking entirely.

Oxidative Stress Contributes to ACM

That also may involve supportive care that will help prevent — or at least reduce the impact of — any alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Supportive care for withdrawal is especially important because some of its symptoms can be severe or even life-threatening. A healthcare provider can also connect you with available resources and refer you to other specialists and experts who can help you reduce or stop your alcohol intake. Alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy is a condition where your heart changes shape because of long-term heavy alcohol use.

Acute and Long-term Effects of Alcohol on the Myocardium

More than one mechanism may be activated and may lead to the multitude of ethanol-induced changes in cellular proteins and cell function. As reviewed in the text, data from pharmacologic and transgenic approaches revealed an important role for oxidative stress and the hormone angiotensin II. Finally, in studies of people from certain Eastern European countries, investigators have failed to find a cardioprotective effect with any level of ethanol consumption (Britton and McKee 2000). This suggests that alcoholic beverage type may be an important mediator, because in countries such as Russia, spirits are the alcoholic beverage of choice.

How to take care of myself and manage my symptoms?

In contrast, chronic and excessive alcohol consumption could lead to progressive cardiac dysfunction and heart failure (HF)[3]. The postulated mechanism includes mitochondria damage, oxidative stress injury, apoptosis, modification of actin and myosin structure, and alteration of calcium homeostasis. Studies have shown an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in myocytes following alcohol consumption and thus causes oxidation of lipids, proteins, and DNA leading to cardiac dysfunction. These changes are related to both direct alcohol toxicity on cardiac cells and the indirect toxicity of major alcohol metabolites such as acetaldehyde. The signs and symptoms of https://ecosoberhouse.com/ (ACM) can vary depending on the severity of the condition.[6] In the early stages, people with ACM may not experience any symptoms.

Alcohol’s Effects on the Cardiovascular System

Individuals with this condition who don’t stop drinking heavily are at the greatest risk. Between 40% to 80% of people who continue to drink heavily will not survive more than 10 years after receiving this diagnosis. In many — if not most — cases, abstaining from alcohol can be enough to help people recover from alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy. In cases where people don’t recover fully by abstaining from alcohol, most people will still see noticeable improvements in their symptoms. In some cases, even just reducing alcohol intake to light or moderate levels can also lead to improvements.

Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis: Linked Mechanisms

Illustrations of a typical heart, as shown on the left, and a heart with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Note that the heart walls are much thicker in the heart with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. If you have the condition, your healthcare professional might recommend that your family members be checked. Call 911 or your local emergency number if you faint, have trouble breathing alcoholic cardiomyopathy is especially dangerous because or have chest pain that lasts for more than a few minutes. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. List of the 15 articles reviewed in this study, indicating the study authors, objectives, design, sample size, patient characteristics, experimental procedures, outcome measures, and main findings.

• However, results from tissue assays have been shown to be potentially helpful in distinguishing AC from other forms of DC.
• According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), AUD is a brain disorder that doctors characterize by the inability to stop or control alcohol consumption.
• Illustrations of a typical heart, as shown on the left, and a heart with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Continuing Education Activity

• Approximately 1 to 2 drinks per day may have no effect on or lead to a slight reduction in stroke events; however, greater daily alcohol levels increase the risk for all stroke events and incident stroke types.
• The relationship of alcohol with heart disease or dementia is complicated by the fact that moderate alcohol consumption was shown not only to be detrimental but to a certain degree also protective against cardiovascular disease [14] or to cognitive function in predementia.

Cardiac Effects of Alcohol