Anyone with concerns about alcohol consumption or heart health needs to consult a doctor for further advice and guidance. For instance, healthcare professionals can carry out a stress test or heart catheterization to rule out coronary artery disease (CAD), which is another cause of cardiomyopathy. Acute AIC can occur following the consumption of a large volume of alcohol. This can cause heart inflammation, leading to an atypically fast heart rhythm, such as atrial fibrillation (AF).
How does this condition affect my body?
We also discuss the clinical presentation, prognosis and treatment of ACM. The primary treatment for ACM is complete abstinence from alcohol, which may require a combination of behavioral therapy and medication. Other treatments aim to treat the symptoms of ACM and prevent any disease complications. Elevations in troponin can signify heart damage or an increase in cardiac output that results in demand ischemia. This is where the heart has an increased need for oxygen that exceeds the body’s ability to supply it.
People with alcoholic cardiomyopathy often have a history of heavy, long-term drinking, usually between five and 15 years. Heavy drinking is alcohol consumption that exceeds the recommended daily limits. Alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy is a condition where your heart changes shape because of long-term heavy alcohol use.
Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy and Your Health
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. This was questioned by other authors, who pointed out that these conclusions could not be drawn, as alcohol itself also induces changes in the pre-load and after-load conditions, drug addiction treatment which influence cardiac contractility35. However, in this context, experimental in vitro studies using cardiomyocytes have shown that alcohol depresses the contractile capacity of the myocardium, regardless of the sympathetic tone and the haemodynamic conditions36. Alcohol in excessive quantities has a directly toxic effect on heart muscle cells. Regarding ICD and CRT implantation, the same criteria as in DCM are used in ACM, although it is known that excessive alcohol intake is specifically linked to ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death71. Future studies in ACM should also address this topic, which has important economic consequences.
- 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.
- The diagnosis of ACM is usually one of exclusion in a patient with DCM with no identified cause and a long history of heavy alcohol abuse.
- Over time, this means your heart can’t pump blood as effectively, which reduces your body’s available oxygen supply.
- In general, you should talk to your healthcare provider if you notice changes in your symptoms over time, especially if they are starting to affect your normal life and routine.
Health & Wellness
- For recommended treatments, please consult with your health care provider.
- One of the few papers analysing genetic susceptibility in ACM was published by Fernández-Solà et al64 in 2002.
- However, a systolic impairment was not found as the years of alcoholic abuse continued.
- In cases where people don’t recover fully by abstaining from alcohol, most people will still see noticeable improvements in their symptoms.
Despite these features, the structural changes do not seem to be specific, furthermore, they are not qualitatively different from those found in idiopathic DCM and they do not allow us to differentiate between the two conditions44. It also appears that the changes emerging in ACM patients only differ from idiopathic DCM in quantitative terms, with histological changes being more striking in idiopathic DCM than in ACM44. Data on the amount of alcohol consumption required to cause ACM are limited and controversial.
How common is this condition?
At present ACM is considered a specific disease both by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and by the American https://gabnicgroup.com/2022/03/21/celebrities-who-succumbed-to-overdose-arista/ Heart Association (AHA)18,19. In the ESC consensus document on the classification of cardiomyopathies, ACM is classified among the acquired forms of DCM19. The NIAAA provides an Alcohol Treatment Navigator, where people can learn about AUD treatments and access care and support networks locally. According to the NIAAA, many people with AUD recover, although setbacks are common among those receiving treatment. Ignite Healthwise, LLC disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The prevalance of alcoholic cardiomyopathy in addiction units is estimated around %. Overall data with regards to alcohol induced cardiomyopathy is insuffienct and does not illustrate significant available data. The outlook for people with alcoholic cardiomyopathy varies depending on how long alcohol was abused and how much alcohol was consumed during that time. In cases where the damage to the heart is severe, the chances of complete recovery are low. Once the damage is considered irreversible, it’s difficult for the heart and rest of the body to recover.
- Women typically have a lower BMI than men, and therefore the same alcohol exposure can be achieved with lower alcohol intake.
- The sub-group of patients in whom symptoms improved was made up of a larger proportion of non-drinkers (73%), compared to 25% in the group who did not improve, or 17% in the group whose condition worsened.
- The muscles that control the lower chambers of your heart, the left and right ventricle, are especially prone to this kind of stretching.
- Many medications can help in cases of alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy, treating the symptoms that happen because of this condition.
Furthermore, 89% of the alcoholics with a DD genotype developed ACM, whereas only 13% of those with an II or ID genotype developed this condition. The diagnosis of ACM is usually one of exclusion in a patient with DCM with no identified cause and a long history of heavy alcohol abuse. According to most studies, the alcohol consumption required to establish a diagnosis of ACM is over 80 g per day during at least 5 years9-12. Incidence of alcoholic cardiomyopathy ranges from 1-2% of all heavy alcohol users. It is estimated, approximately 21-36% of all non-ischemic cardiomyopathies are attributed to alcohol.
Kino et al22 found increased ventricular thickness when consumption exceeded 75 mL/d (60 g) of ethanol, and the increase was higher among those subjects who consumed over 125 mL/d (100 g), without specifying the duration of consumption. In another study on this topic, Lazarević et al23 divided a cohort of 89 asymptomatic individuals whose consumption exceeded 80 g/d (8 standard units) into 3 groups according to the duration of their alcohol abuse. Subjects with a shorter period of alcohol abuse, from 5 to 10 years, had a significant increase in left ventricular diameter and volume compared to the control group. However, a systolic impairment was not found as the years of alcoholic abuse continued. A second set of studies that are quoted when addressing this topic are those conducted in individuals who started an alcohol withdrawal program21-24.
Links to NCBI Databases
To diagnose alcoholic cardiomyopathy, your doctor will conduct a physical exam and ask about your medical history. The physical test will involve simple tests to identify signs of alcoholic cardiomyopathy or congestive heart failure. Complete alcohol withdrawal is usually recommended to all patients with ACM. For tens of years, the literature has documented many clinical cases or small series of patients who have undergone a full recovery of ejection fraction and a good clinical evolution after a period of complete alcoholic abstinence. One of the few papers analysing genetic susceptibility in ACM was published by Fernández-Solà et al64 alcoholic cardiomyopathy is especially dangerous because in 2002. He compared the prevalence of different polymorphisms of the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene in 30 ACM patients and in 27 alcoholics with normal ventricular function.
