How does alcohol affect your heart rate? The harmful effects of alcohol on the heart. The effect of alcohol on human blood vessels
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The negative impact of alcoholic beverages on the cardiovascular system is difficult to overestimate: alcohol is the cause of a third of sudden deaths due to acute dysfunction of the main muscle of the body. However, the harmful effects are caused not only by the abuse of strong drinks; the first reactions begin even with a single use of a small dose of alcohol.
What happens to the heart after drinking alcohol?
The first reactions to the intake of alcohol are the following:
- Blood vessels dilate, blood pressure decreases.
- The load on the heart muscle increases. The heart rate increases (pulse rate is about 100 beats per minute).
After drinking alcohol, it is quickly absorbed into the blood and circulates in the body for at least 7 hours (depending on the dose), so during this time the heart works at an increased rate. However, even after the elimination of alcohol products begins, the load continues to remain high, which puts the muscle out of action for several more days.
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In order to determine how alcohol affects the heart, you need to know the following fact: already at the very beginning of the formation of alcohol dependence, dangerous changes occur: the blood circulation process in the capillaries is disrupted, oxygen starvation of the heart tissue occurs, as a result of which dizziness, shortness of breath, and weakness occur.
After alcohol is eliminated, the blood vessels react in the opposite way: they narrow, blood pressure rises, which forces the heart to continue working with increasing load.
The main danger lies in chronic alcoholism, when the above-described phenomena occur regularly and entail irreversible changes.
Heart pain with regular alcohol consumption
Heart pain can occur both immediately after drinking alcohol, and in the morning after a feast or for some time after the start of regular drinking. There are several reasons for this, and they are often combined.
Cardiomyopathy is one of the most common consequences of alcoholism. This disease is characterized by structural and functional changes in the heart muscle and develops after 10 years of alcohol abuse.
The innervation of the tone of the coronary vessels is disrupted, since alcohol has a complex effect on the entire nervous system, including those parts of it that are designed to regulate the function of the main muscle of the body.
The heart begins to increase in size, which is caused by compensatory mechanisms due to the incredible load on the muscles. The enlarged heart muscle begins to be surrounded by connective and fatty tissue; such a heart is called a “bovine” heart.
Biochemical and metabolic processes when drinking alcoholic beverages also cause dysfunction of the cardiovascular system. Alcohol disrupts oxidative processes and reactions involving fatty acids, which leads to a lack of energy in the heart tissues and aggravation of its condition.
In addition to disruption of innervation and blood circulation, one should not forget about the direct toxic effects of alcohol breakdown products: it is poison, and muscle fibers receive harmful substances along with other internal organs.
Arterial hypertension is a companion of most alcoholics and can also cause pain in the heart area. An increase in cholesterol levels in the blood also has a detrimental effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system and can lead to the formation of cholesterol plaques and atherosclerosis.
Dystrophic changes and edema, tachycardia and angina pectoris, arrhythmias and conduction disturbances are just an incomplete list of the consequences of alcoholism.
Alcohol and the heart: comments from doctors
Cardiologists often hear questions about which alcohol has the least effect on the heart. The answer is clear: none. Alcoholic drinks equally affect the condition of the heart muscle, since the alcohol molecules are the same in both strong and low alcohol, and the breakdown products of ethanol have the same negative effect.
Today, there are several common myths about the effects of alcohol on the heart. There is an opinion that small doses of alcohol have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, but this is a misconception: alcoholic microcardiac dystrophy can form even with apparent moderation of consumption, high quality of the drink and “therapeutic” doses.
Therefore, it is important to know how to get rid of alcohol addiction in order to prevent irreversible changes. The risk of developing heart failure and a heart attack at an early age increases significantly with systematic alcohol consumption, and timely initiation of therapy helps prevent problems with the functioning of the heart muscle.
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The effect of alcohol on the heart is very harmful. Ethyl alcohol is a poison for this organ, as it destroys its cells and increases blood pressure and pulse. But that’s not all, toxins can cause vasospasm, as a result of which the muscles suffer the most and heart diseases develop.
So, we figured out how alcohol affects the heart. Now we need to find out what consequences this can lead to.
When drinking large amounts of alcohol, a disease such as cardiomyopathy develops. That is, a disease of the heart muscle occurs and subsequently heart failure develops. This disease has no cure, but it can be slowed down for a while. Cardiomyopathy has several varieties, one of them is called “alcoholic cardiomyopathy,” that is, alcoholic heart.
Fatty degeneration of the heart may develop. During intensive alcohol consumption, fats are deposited and the changes that occur lead to such a painful state of a person.
Atherosclerosis can develop against the background of alcoholism. That is, atherosclerotic plaques begin to form in the vessels, due to which they narrow over time. As a result, blood pressure increases, which can trigger other heart diseases.
Exposure to alcohol can also lead to coronary artery disease. With this disease, a large amount of adrenaline is produced in the blood. In such a situation, the body needs more oxygen. The organ of a healthy person will withstand such stress, but the heart of an alcoholic will not. With this disease, the vessels are no longer able to supply the organ with oxygen and useful elements.
Coronary heart disease is considered one of the most terrible diseases, as it affects the arteries, and as a result, blood supply is disrupted.
But despite this, alcohol can also have a detrimental effect on the health of the entire vascular system:
- the amount of fat in the blood increases significantly;
- there is a risk of developing diabetes.
And also with excessive alcohol consumption, unnecessary stress can occur, which provoke problems in the functioning of the heart. This is called arrhythmia. This condition occurs suddenly and is dangerous.
How to protect your heart from the effects of alcohol
How does alcohol affect the heart? Obviously, this is not positive, so the organ needs to be taken care of in advance.
First, you need to understand how much alcohol you drink is considered normal and try to drink in moderation. It is also worth taking a break between drinking alcohol for at least 9 days. During this time, the organs will be able to recover.
In order to protect your heart from the influence of alcoholic drinks, you can take the drugs Panangin and Asparkam. Choose one of the drugs and use them to complete 2 three-week courses. How to take it correctly can be read on the packaging or consult a doctor. It is also worth familiarizing yourself with the contraindications in advance.
Alcohol has a negative effect on the functioning of the heart. Therefore, before drinking anything alcoholic, you should take care of yourself.
How does alcohol affect the heart, positively or negatively? This is a very interesting question, since some are categorically positive about its influence, while others are negative. Therefore, it is worth understanding in more detail.
Positive effects of alcohol
Scientists conducting experiments have proven that if you drink alcohol in moderation, it will be beneficial. Red wine is considered the healthiest alcoholic drink.
Main positive effects:
- Alcohol thins the blood, which subsequently reduces the risk of developing heart disease.
- Alcohol reduces the amount of insulin in the blood.
- The level of healthy cholesterol increases.
- Atherosclerotic plaques are reduced.
- Blood flow increases.
But, despite this, you should not drink alcohol specifically in order to get a positive result. After all, alcohol also harms other organs. And it would be much healthier for your heart if you were physically active, ate right and watched your weight.
What happens to the heart under negative influence? Here it’s just that the organ stops functioning normally, as a result of which the person begins to feel unwell. When drinking alcoholic beverages in large quantities, the alcoholic's heart begins to fail, which can even lead to death or disability.
In order to avoid negative consequences, you should:
- Drink alcohol in reduced doses.
- If you have high blood pressure, do not drink alcohol. Otherwise, such people may develop serious health problems.
- Know how to stop in time.
People with diseases of the cardiovascular system should remember that alcohol and the heart are incompatible.
So, alcohol abuse leads to irreversible consequences in human health. The harm of alcohol is known to everyone, but, unfortunately, this does not stop anyone. But, still, sometimes it’s worth thinking about your health. And at the first warning signs, act and consult a doctor for medical help.
There are many misconceptions about the effects of alcohol on the heart, and some claim that moderate alcohol consumption is even beneficial for the cardiovascular system. The influence of alcohol contributes to the development of dangerous heart diseases such as hypertension, ischemia, heart attack and failure, and therefore alcohol cannot be beneficial.
Alcohol affects the heart not only on its own, but also in the form of toxic impurities and additives in some drinks. For example, energy cocktails popular among young people contain substances that can damage the heart and other organs.
You can significantly reduce or even eliminate your risk of heart attack and cardiovascular disease by adopting a healthy lifestyle.
Risk factors for heart attack
Today we know that there are several factors that contribute to heart and blood vessel disease. Some of them we cannot influence in any way (heredity, gender and age).
The occurrence of cardiovascular diseases depends on the characteristics of a particular organism. Each negative factor contributes to the formation of these diseases.
A number of factors have been scientifically established that most contribute to the occurrence of heart disease.
Risk factors that we cannot control:
- age;
- heredity.
Factors affecting the cardiovascular system:
- ecology (polluted air, increased background radiation);
- smoking;
- high blood pressure (hypertension);
- overweight (obesity);
- regular stress, noise;
- psycho-emotional stress, fast pace of life;
- unhealthy diet;
- high cholesterol;
- frequent use of medications;
- physical inactivity;
- excessive alcohol consumption.
The effect of alcohol on the human heart
Alcohol toxin is a cellular poison because it seeps into cellular structures and destroys them. Alcohol also leads to increased blood pressure, which also has an adverse effect on the cardiovascular system. Even after a single use, alcohol provokes a disruption in cardiac activity that lasts for several days, and during the 7-hour period after alcohol, the heart even functions under excessive load.
Pulsation becomes more frequent, and the nutrition of the myocardium is disrupted, the elements of the capillary network narrow and burst due to blood thickening. Such processes often manifest themselves externally: for example, a red nose is a fairly common sign of an alcoholic. The blood supply to the myocardium is also disrupted, which provokes the development of cardiac hypoxia.
With each consumption of alcohol, such processes become more and more difficult, taking on a chronic form. As a result, the drinker develops constant shortness of breath, tachycardia, cardialgia, which is accompanied by vascular atherosclerosis, as well as arterial hypertension. The result of such pathological disorders is myocardial failure, which often leads to the death of not yet old men of 40-45 years of age.
Is there any benefit to alcohol for the heart?
At times, some patients suffering from various arrhythmic lesions experience an improvement in their condition after drinking alcohol, which manifests itself:
- Improving general well-being;
- Decline in pathological activity.
This phenomenon does not last long and is explained by the property of alcohol to restrain foci of ectopia and sinoatrial activity. A temporary decrease in arrhythmic symptoms most often occurs with ventricular arrhythmia. During alcohol breakdown, arrhythmogenic substances are released, which will subsequently only aggravate the course of the arrhythmia.
- at times, such heart pain is typical of a heart attack, then the painful symptoms are compressive and increasing in nature, often not going away even within an hour;
- Pain in the heart can occur during an angina attack, which usually lasts no more than half an hour. The pain seems to compress the heart muscle, radiating to the shoulder area and left arm;
- Cardialgia may indicate the development of chronic heart failure, which is often found in young people. In this case, the patient is worried about shortness of breath, chest pressing pain, arrhythmic manifestations and dizziness.
Heart disease caused by alcohol
Under the influence of alcohol, coronary vascular tone is disrupted, which leads to disruptions in the distribution of magnesium and calcium elements. This explains the occurrence of cardialgia, which often ends in arrhythmias, ischemia, heart attack, hypertension, and degenerative changes. Alcohol-induced damage to the myocardium and vascular system develops under the influence of acetaldehyde, a toxic alcoholic product that leads to profound physical, chemical and structural organic damage.
The influence of alcohol contributes to the development of dangerous heart diseases such as hypertension, ischemia, heart attack and failure, and therefore alcohol cannot be beneficial.
As a result of systematic alcohol abuse, myocardial functionality decreases significantly. A similar factor causes massive swelling of cardiac cellular structures. As a result, the structure of the heart fibers is disrupted, the membranes of myocardial cells are destroyed, etc. Alcoholism provokes excessive ventricular excitability and blocks the conduction of the heart. In the future, these disorders lead to the development of vascular atherosclerosis and hypertension.
Subsequently, people dependent on alcohol have elevated blood pressure. As a result, the load on cardiac activity increases significantly, which leads to the formation of alcoholic heart or alcoholic cardiomyopathy. This phenomenon received this name because of the appearance of the organ:
- The heart cavities become enlarged;
- The heart itself also enlarges due to connective tissue growths.
If, when such a pathology is detected, the patient stops drinking strong drinks, then myocardial poisoning by alcoholic toxins stops. With continued alcohol abuse, a decompensatory syndrome is formed, in which the rate and strength of myocardial contractions is significantly reduced, and myocardial failure develops. This condition can no longer be eliminated, because it is irreversible.
Alcohol dependence provokes the development of numerous cardiovascular changes and accelerates the onset of coronary disease. The negative impact of alcoholic beverages on the myocardium and vascular system is difficult to overestimate. Sometimes this effect is increased due to toxic impurities contained in alcoholic products. In canned beer, for example, there are cobalt impurities that act as preservatives. If you constantly drink such drinks, cobalt will begin to accumulate in the tissues of the body and will have an intense toxic effect.
Alcohol and heart disease
Unfortunately, today there are relatively few convinced abstainers among the population, and even the presence of heart disease, for which it is strictly forbidden to drink alcohol, does not prevent them from drinking alcohol. Even in relatively healthy patients, regular alcohol abuse causes the development of serious pathological conditions of the heart and other organs.
Persons who already have cardiovascular pathologies should seriously fear for their lives if they continue to abuse alcohol even with such a diagnosis. Already 20-50 ml. The purest alcohol has a negative impact on the patient’s heart condition in all respects. Regular drinking of alcoholic beverages causes:
- rise in blood pressure, since alcohol reduces the effectiveness of antihypertensive drugs, the likelihood of developing a hypertensive crisis increases significantly;
- the risk of hospitalization due to myocardial ischemia increases, which begins to rapidly progress, becomes more aggressive and is accompanied by severe complications;
- the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke increases in ischemic patients;
- the development of many concomitant pathologies that worsen the course of the underlying cardiac disease;
- sudden death of the patient due to exacerbation of the disease.
Therefore, drinking alcohol is unacceptable in the presence of pathological disorders of the cardiovascular system. If the patient suffers from persistent alcohol dependence, then he needs to undergo appropriate treatment for alcoholic cardiomyopathy.
Treatment
The main requirement for the patient is a complete abstinence from alcohol, therefore, not only a cardiologist, but also a narcologist takes part in the treatment of cardiomyopathy of alcohol origin. The duration of treatment for such a pathological condition can be months, and in complex cases years, because the myocardium takes a very long time to recover after alcohol damage.
A serious correction of the diet is necessary, its enrichment with vitamins and proteins, which are usually lacking in alcoholic cardiomyopathy. This pathology is accompanied by damage to other internal organs such as the liver, kidneys, and respiratory system, so therapy is multifaceted and is aimed at restoring all affected organs.
- if there is alcoholic heart syndrome, adrenergic blockers are prescribed, and the daily dose is increased gradually, these drugs help stop the enlargement of the heart and even help reduce it;
- Cardiac glycosides, diuretics and antiarrhythmics are also prescribed;
- protein deficiency is compensated by taking amino acids and anabolic steroids;
- For metabolic recovery, drugs like Trimetazidine, Phosphocreatine, Levocarnitine are indicated.
If the alcoholic heart is accompanied by serious lesions, then drastic methods of an operational nature are used. But such operations are performed quite rarely and in the presence of exceptional indications.
The effect of alcohol on the heart is extremely negative and even dangerous, since the heart is the main circulatory organ in the human body, therefore, if ethanol gets into the blood, it is the heart that takes the hit first. According to statistics, over 1/3 of deaths caused by heart disease are caused by the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Within five to seven hours, when the ingested ethyl alcohol circulates inside the body, the functioning of the heart is impaired.
Effects of alcohol consumption on the heart
The heart rate increases to 100, metabolism is disrupted, including the nutrition of the heart muscle. When distilling blood containing alcohol, the work of the heart becomes intensified, the load placed on this organ increases many times over, therefore, during alcohol intoxication, the heart rate increases, blood circulation is impaired, blood pressure increases, this leads to the destruction of small vessels and the most obvious manifestation of this is the red color of the nose people who drink frequently, as well as redness of the whites of the eyes, usually in the morning after drinking alcohol. Representing a cellular poison with a direct effect, ethanol affects the heart cells and increases blood pressure (in the case of even a single dose - for several days), poisons the nervous system.
Excess fat accumulates in the heart muscle, which leads to degeneration of the muscle, which becomes more flabby, as a result of which the heart performs its job worse. The result is atherosclerosis, as well as hypertension.
When drinking alcohol in each case, the likelihood of cardiomyopathy, as well as cardiac arrhythmia, greatly increases. Reliable evidence has been obtained of a direct link between alcohol and coronary death and heart attack. A study was conducted in emergency rooms regarding atrial fibrillation, which is a type of cardiac arrhythmia. The results of this study definitely indicate that ethyl alcohol caused 2/3 of all cases of this arrhythmia.
The studies described above indicate a direct connection between the amount of alcohol consumed and the likelihood of developing heart disease and attacks. Absolutely no limit has been identified for the rational consumption of alcoholic beverages, up to which the likelihood of heart disease would be completely absent. Any dose of alcohol has a negative effect on the heart.
Medical sources use the concept of “alcoholic heart.” This syndrome, also known as cardiomyopathy, sometimes appears with a short history of alcohol abuse.
Causes of the negative effects of alcohol on the heart
There are several known causes of “alcoholic heart” (alcoholic cardiomyopathy).
The first is the toxic effect of alcohol, as well as its metabolic products, on the heart muscle.
The second reason is disruption of the heart due to a deficiency in protein production. Their synthesis is disrupted due to the effects of alcohol on the liver. A person who drinks alcohol greatly reduces the absorption of vitamins belonging to group B, which play an extremely important role for proper cardiac function.
Heart pain is inextricably linked with recent alcohol consumption. It often appears the very next day after drinking alcohol. In the morning, after finishing drinking, in some cases you may feel irregular heartbeats, shortness of breath, fear of death, dizziness, and increased sweating. Some people who drink alcohol suffer from swelling of the legs. All of these signs indicate heart failure.
When examining the heart of a drinker, in almost 100% of cases an increase in the thickness of the walls is detected, as well as an increase in the width of the heart cavities, and arrhythmias are recorded - heart rhythm disorders.
Treatment of heart pathologies caused by alcohol is a complex task. The heart muscle has its own biochemical memory - with specific alcoholic influences, arrhythmias occur again and again. The key to effective treatment of cardiac abnormalities caused by alcohol is an absolute abstinence from alcohol.
Ways alcohol affects the heart
Alcoholic drinks affect this organ in 3 different ways. These include the effects of ethanol itself, as well as its breakdown products, which are toxins, the influence of vitamin B1 deficiency and the influence of additives contained in alcoholic beverages (previously, for example, cobalt chloride was added to beer as a foam stabilizer, it caused severe harm to the heart, leading to cobalt cardiomyopathy).
Ethanol, in addition to its effect on the myocardium itself, leads to a change in vascular tone with the distribution of ions throughout the cardiac tissues. The latter is a very important aspect of the proper functioning of the heart. When the ion balance is disturbed, this creates a risk of arrhythmia. Due to the constant intake of alcohol, dystrophy of cardiac muscle cells develops in the heart muscle, while connective tissue grows around the blood vessels. Its layer around the vessel, acting as an additional “waterproofing”, prevents oxygen and nutrients dissolved in the blood from entering the vessel. In such a situation, the heart muscle cells work at the limit of their capabilities. When there is a deficiency of oxygen in biological tissues, ischemia occurs. Some myocardial cells die, and connective tissue grows in their place. As a result, it turns out that the number of heart cells decreases, as does their ability to contract rhythmically.
In the case of drinking alcohol in the presence of such cardiac disorders, all pathological processes intensify, in particular, arrhythmic contraction and ischemia. In this case, the risk of transition from ischemia to infarction and the transition of arrhythmic individual contractions to lethal forms of arrhythmia increases.
Of course, not every person who drinks alcohol dies due to cardiac arrest. However, damage to this organ occurs in 54% of people who regularly drink alcohol. Of course, this is far from 100%, but still the majority. The likelihood of a fatal arrhythmia when drinking alcoholic beverages doubles, and if there is any heart disease at the same time, it increases threefold.
Alcohol leads to the appearance of heart disease at a fairly early age - usually from the age of 35, people who constantly abuse alcohol experience manifestations of hypertension, interruptions in cardiac function, discomfort in the heart area, since due to the effects of ethanol this organ is significantly weakens, becoming covered with fat, so it becomes more and more difficult to continuously circulate blood, which leads to heart attacks and strokes, often causing early death. Cardiologists in the United States use the term "spirited" heart, indicating that disturbances are often observed after the holidays. The question of safer and more dangerous doses of alcoholic beverages remains unresolved.
Many people who drink are interested in what happens to the human heart when drinking alcohol. People mistakenly believe that alcohol can prevent the development of atherosclerosis and improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system. In reality, everything happens completely differently. The only exception is red wine - in small quantities it has a positive effect on the human body. This article is devoted to the topic of alcohol and the heart.
Red wine contains large amounts of resveratrol, polyphenols, catechins, vitamins and microelements. These substances are formed during the fermentation of grapes and have a powerful vasodilator and antioxidant effect. Ethyl alcohol contained in wine has no beneficial effects.
Once in the body, ethyl alcohol quickly penetrates the blood, where it circulates for 6-7 hours. A person who drinks almost immediately increases blood pressure and increases heart rate. Alcohol and its toxic metabolites cause blood to thicken, making it less accessible to the small vessels of the heart. Myocardial tissue begins to suffer from hypoxia (lack of oxygen), which leads to their death.
The long-term harmful effect of alcohol on the heart and blood vessels leads to a persistent increase in blood pressure, rhythm disturbances and dystrophic changes in the myocardium. All this contributes to the development of serious diseases of the cardiovascular system, often leading to death.
How alcohol affects the heart:
- causes tachycardia - a person’s pulse can increase to 90-100 beats per minute;
- raises blood pressure, contributing to the development of arterial hypertension;
- disrupts normal metabolism and blood supply to the myocardium, which leads to the death of cardiomyocytes and the subsequent development of dystrophic changes;
- over time, it significantly weakens the heart muscle, making it unable to perform its functions;
- leads to the deposition of fats in the thickness of the myocardium, which disrupts its normal functioning;
- causes the appearance of arrhythmias and cardiomyopathies, often causing cardiac arrest.
The heart of a person who drinks alcohol every day becomes flabby and atonic. It cannot fully pump blood, which is why it begins to contract more often and with great difficulty. It is especially difficult for the myocardium when drinking large amounts of alcohol (for example, several liters of beer). At the same time, the volume of intravascular fluid increases, and the load on the heart increases.
Alcoholic drinks have a detrimental effect not only on the heart muscle. There is a lot of evidence of the negative effects of alcohol on the entire cardiovascular system. The walls of blood vessels in an alcoholic lose elasticity and become thinner, the endothelium is damaged - this is what happens under the influence of ethyl alcohol. Cholesterol is deposited on damaged vessels, that is, atherosclerosis develops. This, in turn, entails the development of coronary heart disease and other unpleasant diseases. This is what happens when you drink alcohol for a long time (over several years).
Important! A direct relationship has been proven between the amount of alcohol consumed and the damage it causes to the myocardium. A dose of alcohol equivalent to 150 ml of dry red wine is considered toxic.
Effects of alcohol consumption on the heart
The first sign of harm from alcohol is pain and interruptions in heart function that occur the morning after drinking. Unpleasant sensations can last up to an hour and are accompanied by nausea, dizziness, lack of air, and the formation of edema. If you experience sharp pain in the chest, you should consult a doctor, as they may indicate angina pectoris or even myocardial infarction.
Almost all people who abuse alcohol for a long time develop alcoholic cardiomyopathy (or the so-called alcoholic heart). The disease is characterized by disruption of the normal structure of the heart muscle. Patients experience shortness of breath, swelling, and attacks of suffocation. In the absence of appropriate treatment, the disease progresses steadily. Alcoholic heart disease often leads to the development of congestive heart failure and death.
Other possible consequences of prolonged drinking:
- Fatty degeneration of the myocardium. As already mentioned, alcohol has an extremely negative effect on the heart. Essentially, it is a toxin that kills functioning myocardial cells. After some time, adipose tissue, which does not have contractile abilities, grows in place of the dead cardiomyocytes. This condition is called fatty degeneration.
- Arrhythmias. The harmful effects of ethyl alcohol are not limited to the myocardium alone, as alcohol also affects the nervous system. This leads to disruptions in the functioning of the heart. A person may experience frightening freezing, squelching, or a sharp increase in heart rate. This condition is quite dangerous, because it can lead to sudden and unexpected cardiac arrest.
- Hypertonic disease. Characterized by a prolonged increase in blood pressure above 140/90 mmHg. The pathology is especially dangerous due to sudden strokes and damage to some internal organs.
- Ischemic disease. The long-term influence of alcohol on the heart and blood vessels leads to the development of atherosclerosis and, as a consequence, to coronary artery disease. The disease can manifest itself as angina pectoris (angina pectoris) or heart attacks. Drunkards, smokers, people with a family history and excess weight are especially susceptible to coronary disease.
- Cardiac arrest from alcohol abuse. Occurs due to impaired myocardial contractility, due to ischemic damage or excessive load on the heart. Typically occurs in chronic drinkers.
Unfortunately, the heart undergoes irreversible changes after alcohol that cannot be treated. Since it is impossible to restore the normal structure of the myocardium, all that remains is to carry out symptomatic therapy, that is, to treat the complications that have arisen.
Restoring the cardiovascular system after alcoholism
It is very important to properly restore the body after prolonged alcohol intoxication. As a rule, treatment includes taking detoxification agents, hepatoprotectors, nootropics, B vitamins and a number of drugs that normalize the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
The most important step is to give up alcohol and eat a balanced diet. In order to correct protein deficiency, the patient should include more proteins and amino acids in the diet. To eliminate electrolyte imbalance, doctors prescribe potassium and magnesium preparations (Panangin, Asparkam, Magne-B6). Phosphocreatine, Levocarnitine, Trimetazidine are used as metabolic agents.
Beta-blockers are also indicated for the patient. Drugs in this group can slow down the course of the disease and prevent further increase in myocardial size. For arrhythmias, antiarrhythmic drugs are indicated; for heart failure, diuretics and cardiac glycosides are prescribed. The treatment regimen is drawn up individually, taking into account the person’s condition and the presence of contraindications.
Advice! After a long binge or prolonged daily drinking, it is better to seek help from a doctor. He will prescribe medications that will help restore the body and partially avoid the negative consequences of alcoholism.