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Therefore, the need to establish a more effective control on ethanol consumption has been repeatedly claimed 2. For many decades, ACM has been considered one of the main causes of left ventricular dysfunction in developed countries. Specifically in the United States, ACM was declared the leading cause of non-ischemic DCM7; a fact related to the high consumption of alcoholic beverages worldwide, which is particularly elevated in https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/you-are-not-powerless-over-alcohol-and-heres-why/ Western countries26 . 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. By being more susceptible to the damaging effects of alcohol, you’re more likely to develop alcoholic cardiomyopathy.

Genetic and Age-Related Risk Factors

In ACM, it is relevant to consider the treatment of the other alcohol-induced systemic damage, such as liver cirrhosis, malnutrition, and vitamin and electrolyte disturbances 2,11,52. Notably, in patients with a history of chronic alcohol consumption complicated by significant myocardial dysfunction and chronic malnutrition, re-feeding syndrome may increase the cardiac dysfunction. Therefore, physicians should be aware of the risk of new cardiomyopathy in patients with these Sober living home overlapping diagnoses 144.

Treatment of ACM

• The primary treatment for ACM involves complete abstinence from alcohol or other drugs.
• In addition to these, stem-cell therapy tries to improve myocyte regeneration 112,152.
• One of the characteristics that makes ethanol harmful is its systemic toxic effect on the human body 10,11.
• Ignite Healthwise, LLC, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information.
• So Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179), one of the most prominent mysticians of her time, recommended her heart wine as a universal remedy.
• Echocardiography may reveal a mild or severe depression of cardiac function and ejection fraction or even show hypertrophy in the beginning 109.

In patients exhibiting chronic alcohol use, other causes of dilated cardiomyopathy need workup. Investigative work up such as mean corpuscular volume (MCV), gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT), elevated transaminases (AST, ALT) and elevated INR usually are seen in liver injury can be helpful as supportive evidence of alcohol use.1415. Your doctor might prescribe ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers to help lower your blood pressure. If your heart is severely damaged, your doctor may recommend an implantable defibrillator or pacemaker to help your heart work. They commonly include fatigue, shortness of breath, and swelling of the legs and feet. Alcohol abuse coinciding with myocarditis was reported in 1902 by McKenzie 26.

• This causes a decrease in sarcolemmal contraction and also disturbance in other intercellular organelles dependent of i.c.
• 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.
• To avoid alcoholic cardiomyopathy, abstain from alcohol or drink in moderation.
• It was described as a form of DCM with severe pericardial effusion, low cardiac output, and purplish skin coloration.

Laboratory tests

• Mortality in ACM is related to the progression of heart failure and malignant arrhythmias 58,65.
• These include damaging factors such as acetaldehyde or ROS, cardiac fibrosis, or apoptosis.
• In addition, contractile sarcomere proteins such as Myosin, Actin, and Troponin are also affected by ethanol, causing the functional progressive depression of myocyte contractility, inducing progression to heart failure 56,104,131.
• The per capita alcohol consumption of 9.7 l pure ethanol and the early onset of regular or episodic intensive drinking among young people in Germany consequently leads to high alcohol-related morbidity and mortality 5.

Over time, the heart struggles to pump blood efficiently, leading to symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, and leg swelling. If untreated, it can progress to heart failure, a life-threatening condition requiring immediate medical attention. Symptoms of ACM are not specific and overlap with other forms of heart failure 30,41,58. They appear when ventricle dilatation, hypertrophy, and dysfunction are established. Later and progressively in the course of the disease, around 20% of women and 25% of men with excessive alcohol consumption develop exertion dyspnea and orthopnea, leading to episodes of left-ventricle heart failure 39,46,59.

Heart Transplant

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy weakens the heart muscle, reducing its ability to pump blood efficiently. This leads to fluid buildup in the lungs, known as pulmonary congestion, making it difficult to breathe, especially during physical activity or when lying down. As the heart’s function declines, patients may also experience shortness of breath at rest. Recently, apoptosis and necrosis have been also attributed to autophagy in ACM 18. In order to maintain cardiac homeostasis, the removal of defective organelles and cell debris by autophagy is essential both in physiological and alcoholic cardiomyopathy pathological conditions 115.