alcoholic cardiomyopathy stages

This activity examines when this condition should be considered on differential diagnosis. This activity highlights the role of the interprofessional team in caring for patients with this condition. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a serious heart condition caused by long-term, excessive alcohol alcoholic cardiomyopathy stages 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.

  • The mainstay of management is providing support, resources including but not limited to alcoholic anonymous and encouragement for alcohol abstinence and address underlying stressors if any which requires assistance from nursing staff and pharmacy.
  • In experimental studies, acetaldehyde directly impairs cardiac contractile function 76, disrupts cardiac excitation–contraction coupling, and promotes oxidative damage and lipid peroxidation 20.
  • Heavy drinking refers to alcohol consumption and is defined by the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism (NIAAA) as over three drinks for women and four drinks for men per day.
  • In combination with imaging studies and physical examination findings, these biomarkers can provide valuable information to confirm the diagnosis of alcoholic cardiomyopathy and design an appropriate treatment plan.

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They typically require fewer hospitalizations and show improved heart function on ECG readings. A 2023 article notes that ACM carries a more positive outlook than ischemic cardiomyopathy, which refers to heart damage that typically occurs due to CAD. Other lifestyle changes a person will likely need to make include reducing the amount of fluid they drink or salt they eat. A person can speak with a doctor about any concerns regarding lifestyle changes. Data suggests patients with successful quitting of alcohol have improved overall outcomes with a reduced number of inpatient admissions and improvement in diameter size on echocardiogram. Certain microscopic features may suggest damage secondary to alcohol causing cardiomyopathy.

alcoholic cardiomyopathy stages

Treatment For Alcohol Abuse Or Addiction

alcoholic cardiomyopathy stages

New strategies to improve the natural course what is alcoholism of ACM have been proposed as promising agents in this field 112,147. They try to control myocardial remodeling to avoid the progression of myocyte hypertrophy 39,148 or fibrosis 149 and ventricle dysfunction and dilatation, as well as to increase the degree of myocyte regeneration 150. They aim to control oxidative damage, myocyte hypertrophy, interstitial fibrosis, and persistent apoptosis.

  • Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a cardiovascular condition that results in abnormal conduction of the heart as well as a malfunctioning of the pumping mechanism of the heart because of the effects of alcoholic toxins.
  • However, myocarditis is often preceded by viral infections or flu-like symptoms, such as fever, body aches, or sore throat, which are not typical of alcoholic cardiomyopathy.
  • It’s important to note that during alcohol withdrawal, your doctor might recommend other medications to manage unpleasant symptoms and help you on your journey to recovery.
  • These sensations are often caused by arrhythmias, which occur when alcohol-induced damage disrupts the heart’s electrical system.

Irregular Heartbeat (Arrhythmia)

The symptoms of left ventricular diastolic function included waking up at night with shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, extreme fatigue and weakness, dizziness and fainting, bouts of chest pain, and swelling in the feet, ankles, and abdomen 13. 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 overlapping diagnoses 144. Control of these alcohol-related systemic diseases, as well as the strict control of the presence of other heart https://ecosoberhouse.com/ risk factors (tobacco, cocaine, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or anemia) contributes to ACM improvement 10,20,23,37,52. Atrial fibrillation should be controlled with chronotropic drugs such as digoxin or diltiazem and anticoagulant treatment to avoid arterial embolisms 60,145.

What Role Do Biomarkers and Blood Tests Play in Diagnosis?

  • When this occurs, the heart cannot effectively pump blood, causing symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, dizziness, and even heart failure.
  • Based on epidemiological evidence, ACM is recognized as a significant contributor to non-ischemic DCM in Western countries.
  • In addition to these, stem-cell therapy tries to improve myocyte regeneration 112,152.
  • Therefore, based on the existence or absence of congestive heart failure symptoms and signs, individuals may be classified as asymptomatic (preclinical phase) or symptomatic (clinical phase).
  • Myocytolysis progressively develops, disturbing the sarcomere contractile system.

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a heart disease that occurs due to chronic alcohol consumption. It is a type of dilated cardiomyopathy since it involves dilation or enlargement of one of the heart’s chambers. In fact, ethanol itself decreases the myocyte regeneration capacity and increases the fibrogenic process 52,126. Subendocardial and interstitial fibrosis progressively appear in the course of ACM, usually in advanced stages 52,56.

Two independent reviewers assessed each article for relevance and eligibility for full-text review. Once the 15 articles were selected (see Appendix Table 1 for the list of included articles), we extracted and organized relevant information from them. 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. Apoptosis occurs mainly as a consequence of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress in various body organs.

alcoholic cardiomyopathy stages

1. The Natural Course of ACM

Because hypertension may directly contribute to left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, this may be a confounding comorbidity in persons who abuse alcohol, and it should be differentiated from pure forms of alcoholic cardiomyopathy. It is caused by the toxic effects of alcohol on the heart, leading to myocardial ventricular dilation, contractile dysfunction, and eventually heart failure (HF). This differs from ischemic cardiomyopathy, which is primarily due to coronary artery disease (CAD) and impairs blood flow to the heart muscle. Shortness of breath, or dyspnea, occurs in approximately 70-80% of patients with alcoholic cardiomyopathy. It is often one of the earliest symptoms and worsens as the disease progresses. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy weakens the heart muscle, reducing its ability to pump blood efficiently.

In a national inpatient sample study, some authors have reported ACM to be most common in white males aged between 45 and 59 2. Along with developing heart damage, patients with ACM may also damage other organs, such as the liver, central and peripheral nervous system, skeletal muscle, pancreas, and digestive tract, and are exposed to an increased risk of cancer 24,63,64. In fact, ACM is related to systemic damage induced by ethanol misuse and its global biological response 10,11,31. The outlook for people with alcoholic cardiomyopathy varies depending on how long alcohol was abused and how much alcohol was consumed during that time.