What Are the Treatments for Problems With Heart Due to Alcohol Abuse?

Although light to moderate alcohol consumption may reduce some risk factors of heart disease, doctors do not recommend it. They know too many people already drink heavily or have patterns which are associated with damage to cardiac health. Pathologies range from irregular heart beats and high blood pressure to weakened heart muscle. What these conditions have in common is their first order of treatment: stop drinking.

Cardiac Arrhythmia

• Binge drinking or long-term chronic alcohol use can result in dangerous cardiac arrhythmia, or irregular heart beats, that can lead to sudden death from heart attack or stroke. This condition may be caused by the death of conductive tissue cells in the heart, possibly combined with depletion of potassium and magnesium. Emergency treatment centers around medications called beta blockers, which regulate heart rate, and rehydration with mineral replacement solutions. People with cardiac arrhythmia will also be sedated so they can rest.

Hypertension

• Intoxication causes an increase in blood pressure and heart rate. One theory, according to Arthur Klatsky in his American Heart Association article titled Alcohol-Associated Hypertension, is that "the repeated pressor effects of alcohol might ultimately lead to irreversible changes." Drinking two or more servings of alcohol per day is known to double the risks of developing high blood pressure compared to those who don't drink. When alcohol is not taken with meals the risk is even greater. The treatment is simple--stop drinking. Continuing to drink while taking medications (or trying to lose weight) is self-defeating. Klatsky notes that "Alcohol restriction may lower blood pressure more than exercise or salt restriction," if the hypertension is alcohol-related.

Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy

• Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is the thinning of heart muscle caused by long-term heavy drinking. In this condition, cardiac tissues lose the strength to contract and pump blood efficiently throughout the body. When there isn't enough force to support normal circulation, fluid seeps into body tissues, causing swelling, and into the lungs, causing shortness of breath. In early stages the condition may be reversible or progression can be halted with abstinence from alcohol. If they stop drinking, the person has an excellent chance of surviving without a heart transplant. If drinking doesn't stop, or if the disease is very far advanced, prognosis is poor. Medical treatment is the same as for congestive heart failure that is not caused by alcohol: fluid and salt restriction, diuretic medications to manage edema (swelling), and ACE inhibitor drugs that reduce the workload on the heart.