In general, most people who stop drinking alcohol will feel better over the next three to six months. However, certain symptoms may start to improve even sooner, depending on treatments and the severity of your case. In more severe or complicated cases, especially ones involving surgery, some symptoms may not improve for even longer. Overall, your healthcare provider is the best source of information and answers when it comes to your recovery. Completely abstaining from alcohol is the key recommendation if you have alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy.

• This enlargement causes the heart to weaken and lose its ability to contract effectively.
• Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a condition that weakens your heart and its ability to pump blood.
• 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.
• These areas are more easily stretched and can be more susceptible to weakening muscles.
• All information provided in featured rehab listings is verified by the facility officials.

Conversely, those whose consumption remained in excess of 80 g/d showed an average decline of 3.8% in their ejection fraction. Ballester specifically analysed the effects of alcohol withdrawal on the myocardium using antimyosin antibodies labelled with Indium-11172. This radiotracer has been acknowledged as an indicator of irreversible myocardial damage.

Differential Diagnosis

For many people, abstaining from alcohol can lead to a full recovery, especially when your case is less severe. However, for others, the effects of alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy may be life-long. Even in cases where people can undergo a heart transplant, individuals with a history of alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy are more likely to face other health problems down the road. Treatment for this condition starts with helping you reduce your alcohol intake or stop drinking entirely. That also may involve supportive care that will help prevent — or at least reduce the impact of — any alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Supportive care for withdrawal is especially important because some of its symptoms can be severe or even life-threatening.

Doctors & locations

This is especially true if your genetic condition affects how your body metabolizes alcohol. However, the best way to completely prevent alcoholic cardiomyopathy is not to drink at all. Most people who develop alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy have a history of heavy drinking—especially those who have been drinking heavily for 5 to 15 years. Men between 35 and 50 have a higher risk of developing alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is most common in middle-aged adults who have been abusing alcohol for a number of years or decades.

• 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.
• Because of the strain on the heart, its chambers can become enlarged, resulting in an overall stretching of the heart muscle.
• Although there are medical tests that can study how well a person’s heart functions, many people with alcohol dependence don’t schedule regular visits with their doctor.
• If the disease is caught early, stopping alcohol use completely and taking certain medications can help restore the heart’s function.
• Ultimately, your body can’t keep up with the damage to multiple organ systems, including your heart.

Blood Tests

Ethanol is converted into acetaldehyde, a toxic substance, and free radicals during this process. Furthermore, there are conflicting data among studies regarding the prognosis of the condition, with some showing overall mortality near 60% and others showing a mortality rate of only 19% (Table 1). A medical professional may also recommend an adjusted diet to aid in the recovery.

Links to NCBI Databases

• The consequences of advanced cases of ACM are unlikely to reverse with treatment but may be managed with some standard treatments for heart failure.
• Alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy is a condition that can have major impacts on your life over time.
• It is characterized by ventricular dilation and impairment in cardiac function.
• One of the dangers of cardiomyopathy is that people may not always experience symptoms of their condition until it has advanced to a severe state.

As pointed out before, the current accepted definition of ACM probably underestimates the number of women affected by the disease. Alcohol affects heart function and is dependent on the quantity of alcohol that the heart is exposed to. Women typically have a lower BMI than men, and therefore the same alcohol exposure can be achieved with lower alcohol intake. Demakis et al70 in 1974 divided a cohort of 57 ACM patients according to the evolution of their symptoms during follow-up. 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.

Laboratory Tests

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. Your lifestyle choices can also worsen your condition, especially when you use substances that affect your heart, lungs, and circulatory system. In some cases, alcoholic cardiomyopathy is caused by a genetic mutation that makes your body process alcohol much slower than others.5 You can become intoxicated or damage your body with fewer drinks. It can also result from alcohol use disorder (AUD) and alcohol dependence.

All information provided in featured rehab listings is verified by the facility officials. The details are kept up to date to help people with addiction treatment needs get the most full and precise facts about the rehabilitation facility. In the U.S., heart disease is the primary cause of mortality across most genders, races and ethnicities, claiming lives every 33 seconds in the country. A doctor can guide someone to resources to help them quit drinking and can make referrals.

Treatment for alcoholic cardiomyopathy is directed towards source control. Certain microscopic features may suggest damage secondary to alcohol causing cardiomyopathy. Commonly seen cellular structural alterations include changes in the mitochondrial reticulum, cluster formation of mitochondria and disappearance of inter-mitochondrial junctions. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy Sober living home is a leading cause of non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy in United States. Myocardial depression secondary to alcohol is initially reversible however prolonged sustained alcohol use leads to irreversible dysfunction.

Your healthcare provider is the best person to explain the risks and possible complications that you might face from this condition itself, related health concerns or any of the treatments that you will receive. Alcohol abuse has a toxic effect on many of your organs, including the heart. When it can’t pump out enough blood, the heart starts to expand to hold the extra blood. Eventually, the heart muscle and blood vessels may stop functioning properly due to the damage and strain. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is most common in men between the ages of 35 and 50, but the condition can affect women as well.

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a form of heart disease caused by alcohol abuse. Long-term alcohol abuse weakens and thins the heart muscle, affecting its ability to pump blood. When your heart can’t pump blood efficiently, the lack of blood flow disrupts all your body’s major functions.