Edited by: Riya Ashok Madayi
Last updated: January 25, 2023, 10:27 AM IST
When alcohol consumption continues, a condition known as cardiomyopathy can develop, which affects the heart muscles and causes them to grow abnormally.
Alcohol consumption has more negative effects than positive, and heavy drinking for long periods puts your heart at risk and can increase your risk of developing alcoholic cardiomyopathy. Dr. Pradeep Kumar D, Senior Consultant Interventional Cardiology at Aster CMI Hospital in Bangalore, shares his insights on alcoholic cardiomyopathy and everything related to it
A large majority of people consider binge drinking to be harmless and most even believe it to be the key to having fun. Some people also do not take alcohol as a drug and even believe that binge drinking is also good for our hearts. However, alcohol consumption causes more harm than good and prolonged excessive drinking poses a greater risk to the heart and can increase your chances of developing alcoholic cardiomyopathy.
What is Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy?
Excessive alcohol intake often causes hypertension (high blood pressure) which weakens the heart muscle and makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood properly. This causes the heart to expand and thin to hold more blood, which affects how the blood and heart muscles work. If hypertension is left untreated for too long, it can lead to heart failure.
With prolonged use of alcohol, Cardiomyopathy, a heart muscle disease develops in the heart that causes the muscles of the heart to enlarge abnormally. If the cardiomyopathy is left unattended for too long, the condition can potentially become fatal and increase the risk of an irregular heartbeat, which can cause congestive heart failure. This condition is most commonly diagnosed in people in the 35 to 50 age group and men appear to be more prone to it than women.
People who have consumed alcohol heavily over a period of 5 to 15 years or more are at high risk for alcoholic cardiomyopathy. Men who consume more than 14 drinks per week or 4 drinks per day and women who consume more than three drinks per day or seven drinks per week usually fall under the heavy drinking category and are more likely to develop alcoholic cardiomyopathy.
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What are the signs and symptoms?
While alcoholic cardiomyopathy shows no signs or symptoms until it gets to an advanced stage. However, patients who are in an advanced stage show the following signs:
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath during rest or exertion
- Swelling of legs, feet and ankles
- Changes in urine
- Loss of appetite
- Difficulty concentrating
- Weakness, dizziness, fainting and vertigo
- Rapid pulse
- Pink mucus discharge when coughing and coughing when lying down
- Distended abdomen due to fluid retention
- Pain in the chest
What Are the Causes of Cardiomyopathy?
The causes of cardiomyopathy are often unknown, but in some cases, doctors can identify the possible factors that can cause cardiomyopathy, including:
- Genetic Disorders
- Increased heart rate and prolonged blood pressure
- Problems with heart valves
- Damage in heart tissue from a previous attack
- Severe alcoholism and illicit drug use
- Obesity, thyroid and other conditions
- Complications during pregnancy
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What is the diagnosis of cardiomyopathy?
The doctors will perform the following tests to determine if you have cardiomyopathy:
- Chest X-ray test to detect the enlargement in the heart.
- Echocardiogram to analyze the functioning of the heart valves. If this does not help, the doctor may also perform Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging. (MRI)
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) to detect any blockages in the heart and heart rate abnormalities.
- A treadmill stress test is performed to check if exercise is making abnormal heart rhythms worse.
- Cardiac catheterization is performed to check that the heart is pumping blood vigorously throughout the body.
- CT scans are performed to assess the size and function of the heart and its valves.
- Blood tests are performed to assess iron levels in the body and to check thyroid, kidney and liver function.
- To check if the disease is congenital, the doctors also perform a genetic test to check if the condition is hereditary in parents and siblings.
What are the treatment options for cardiomyopathy?
Treatment options for cardiomyopathy vary depending on the type and severity of the condition.
- In cases of dilated cardiomyopathy, doctors can treat the condition by prescribing medications to improve heart function. However, if the condition becomes severe, our doctor may recommend surgical implants.
- With restrictive cardiomyopathy, your doctor may prescribe medications to lower blood pressure and will recommend monitoring high blood pressure levels, monitoring salt and water intake, and tracking your body weight.
- In severe cases of cardiomyopathy, your doctor will recommend Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) or a heart transplant.
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What measures can you take to keep alcoholic cardiomyopathy at bay?
There are several steps you can take to reduce your risk of alcoholic cardiomyopathy:
- Limit or practice complete abstinence from alcohol.
- Reduce or decrease sodium intake.
- Limit your fluid intake to reduce the pressure on your heart.
- Get plenty of exercise and if you have a heart condition or if you are a heart patient, you should avoid strenuous workouts.
- Refrain from smoking.
- Limit your intake of sugar, saturated fats and processed foods.
- Maintain a healthy BMI.
How much is too much?
While some studies have found that binge drinking or occasional drinking is good for health, avoiding alcohol is best. It is not a wise idea to start drinking alcohol to reduce the risk of heart disease. Instead, one should find various alternatives like doing yoga etc. which are beneficial for health.
Simply put, drinking alcohol just isn’t worth it and the possible small benefits to our hearts don’t outweigh the increased risk of developing serious illnesses like cancer or liver disease. Therefore, if you want to live a long and healthy life, you should opt for safer ways like regular exercise, healthy diet, etc. to reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
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