ALCOHOL RELATED DISEASES
LONG-TERM DAMAGEWhen a person drinks alcohol over a long period of time, he or she shows signs of deterioration and illness. This is known as the later stage of alcoholism where the body and its organs start to dramatically weaken. Below is a brief list of illnesses caused by alcohol:
Eye irritation: "Dry eyes” may be a problem for chronic drinkers. As alcohol is excreted from the body in tears and other body fluids, it can cause chronic irritation. This irritation decreases the eyes ability to self-lubricate, leaving them dry and itchy.
Gastritis: a burning sensation in the area of the stomach and a sour taste in the mouth. These symptoms are the result of alcohol’s severe irritation of the inside of the stomach. This is often mistaken for a stomach ulcer, especially if the doctor is not aware of your drinking history. Normally, the stomach lining protects the muscular wall from the acidity of digestive juices. But alcohol can damage the lining leaving the stomach open to a variety of problems, such as bleeding. With sobriety, the stomach lining heals quickly, providing relief from the symptoms.
Osteoporosis: A condition where bones lose their density and are more likely to fracture. If this happens, the result is significant pain and disability. Chronic alcohol use interferes with the balance of calcium an essential nutrient for healthy bones. The main reservoirs of calcium are your bones and teeth, where the calcium content determines the strength and the stiffness of the bones. Alcohol consumption leads to increased urinary calcium excretion, resulting in loss of calcium from the body.
Cancer: Alcohol weakens the immune system and suppresses the ability of healthy cells to destroy cancer cells. Our “killer cells” are believed to be one of the body's most important defenses against cancer. The strongest link between alcohol and cancer involves cancers of the upper digestive tract, including the esophagus, mouth, pharynx and larynx. An estimated 75% of esophageal cancers in the US are attributed to chronic, excessive alcohol consumption. Plus, many studies report that moderate to heavy alcohol consumption increases the risk for breast cancer.
Beer, wine, and spirits contain volatile and nonvolatile flavor compounds that originate from raw materials, fermentation, wooden casks and synthetic substances added to specially flavored beverages. The exact composition of many beverages is confidential business information. Yet, several of the contaminants found in beer, wine, and spirits are known or suspected human carcinogens including asbestos, arsenic compounds (IARC V.44, 1988;NTP, 1998), acetaldehyde, nitrosamines, aflatoxins and ethyl carbamate (urethan).
Diabetics: A serious metabolic disorder where the body produces an excessive amount of urine, along with persistent thirst. If a diabetic drinks heavily, without eating, the natural glycogen (sugar) reserve in the liver will be depleted. If a diabetic then takes a normal dose of insulin thus reducing an already low blood sugar level he or she can lapse into a profound or fatal coma. This condition is called alcoholic hypoglycemia. Diabetics who drink alcohol must maintain their liver glycogen supply by eating regularly, because alcohol retards glycogen formation.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS): Severe brain or bodily damage to a baby, resulting from the mother’s drinking alcohol. The fact is: there is no safe amount of alcohol you can drink when pregnant. So, if you are trying to become pregnant, you should stop drinking altogether. Even small amounts can be damaging because alcohol passes through the placenta and reaches the baby. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the leading cause of mental retardation. A child with FAS shows signs of growth retardation, neurological abnormalities, intellectual impairment and skull or brain malformations (such as a face with short eye openings, a thin upper lip, and an elongated, flattened groove in the middle of the upper lip). Attention deficit problems are directly associated with FAS. So, FAS is often diagnosed, incorrectly, as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and treated inappropriately.
Heart Disease: The deterioration of the heart muscle and its functioning. Heavy drinking can increase the risk of heart failure, stroke, and high blood pressure. Chronic heavy drinking is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease. Heavy drinking increases your lipid levels ("blood fats"), which in turn, causes arteriosclerosis ("hardening of the arteries") and an increased risk of stroke and developing alcoholic cardiomyopathy (deterioration of heart muscle), both of which can lead to death from heart failure.
Hypertension: A disease of the arteries where chronic high blood pressure is the primary symptom. As with other cardiovascular diseases, people who are dependent on alcohol are at higher risk for hypertension than those who drink moderately. Women are also more likely than men to develop high blood pressure.
Atrial Fibrillation: A disease wherein the normal rhythmical contraction the heart is disturbed and rapid, irregular twitching occurs in the muscular wall. This can develop suddenly, after prolonged alcohol ingestion. This is sometimes referred to as "holiday heart."
Hormone Imbalances: Hormones are chemical messengers that control and coordinate the functions of all tissues and organs. They help to maintain a constant concentration of glucose (sugar) in the blood, for good health. Glucose is also the main energy source for all tissues. Each hormone is secreted from a particular gland and distributed throughout the body. But, alcohol can impair the function of hormone releasing glands and in turn, the normal regulation of blood sugar levels. This is especially damaging to the brain which cannot make or store glucose, so it depends on the blood supply. Thus, even brief periods of low glucose levels (known as hypoglycemia) can cause brain damage.
Weak Immune System: Chronic alcohol consumption has been shown to reduce the number of infection-fighting white blood cells in humans. This can leave a person vulnerable to an increase in infections such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which leads to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Researchers have learned that alcohol can impair white blood cell responses to HIV. HIV is initially transmitted through sexual contact and shared needles with an infected individual.
WernickeKorsakoff Syndrome (WKS): A debilitating memory disease with two distinct phases. Wernicke's encephalopathy is considered the first phase and Korsakoff's syndrome the second phase. In phase one, the patient is confused, seems to stare a lot, shows impaired memory and has a lack of coordination in walking. In the advanced stage, the chronic drinker seems superficially better. The confusion lifts, yet there may still be some disorientation as to time and place. The most obvious symptom that remains is impaired short-term memory. A person may repeat a story he told five minutes earlier. A classic symptom is "confabulation," where a patient fills in memory gaps with imaginary details. This is merely a defense mechanism to disguise poor memory. Truly, it can be scary and embarrassing to not remember recent events. Korsakoff's syndrome is also a memory disorder resulting from a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1). Up to 80 percent of chronic drinkers, have such a deficiency. So administering thiamine helps improve brain function, especially in the early stages of WKS.
Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD): The three alcohol liver diseases are fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis. These are a few of the most serious medical consequences of chronic alcohol use. The liver is the largest body organ, located in the upper right portion of the abdomen. It filters circulating blood, removing and destroying toxic substances. It secretes bile into the small intestine to help digest and absorb fats. And it is involved in many metabolic systems. The liver stores vitamins, synthesizes cholesterol, metabolizes or stores sugars and assembles amino acids into various proteins.
- Fatty liver is where fat deposits accumulate in the liver after short-term use of alcohol. Fatty liver rarely causes other illness and is reversible with abstinence.
- Alcoholic hepatitis results from heavy alcohol consumption. Alcoholic hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver characterized by fever, abdominal pain and jaundice (yellowing of the skin). Here, the whites of the eyes become bright yellow-orange. Jaundice itself is not painful, but it can cause troublesome itching of the skin. Alcoholic hepatitis may be fatal, but can be reversible with abstinence. Many people with liver failure get a very swollen abdomen because fluids that normally pass through the liver cannot do so. Fluid in the belly (called "ascites") can stretch the skin causing discomfort or it can press against the lungs, making it necessary to remove fluid with a needle.
- Cirrhosis is most advanced form of alcoholic liver injury. This condition is marked by progressive development of scar tissue that chokes off blood vessels and distorts the normal architecture of the liver. With cirrhosis, the cells of the liver are damaged and can’t repair themselves. As liver cells die, scar tissue forms. When scar tissue builds up, blood can’t flow through the liver properly to be filtered. As a result, poisons and wastes can build up in the body. This can bring on symptoms like mental confusion, agitation or tremors (shaking). Normally, blood is carried to the liver by a major blood vessel called the portal vein. If blood can’t flow easily through the liver due to cirrhosis, it slows down and the pressure inside the vein increases. This condition is called portal hypertension, which can be fatal. Studies have demonstrated that a chronic drinker may progress to cirrhosis without passing through any visible stage resembling hepatitis. So, alcoholic cirrhosis can appear with little warning.
- About Biopsies: To discover the true condition of the liver, a doctor may arrange for a biopsy. Here, a very thin needle is inserted into the liver to remove a small piece of tissue for testing. Also, Doppler ultrasound may be used to view the liver. Alcoholic cirrhosis is often progressive and fatal yet it can stabilize with abstinence. Women are more likely than men to develop alcoholic hepatitis and to die from cirrhosis. Alcohol-related cirrhosis is widely under-reported. However, about 44% of all deaths caused by cirrhosis in North America are reportedly alcohol related.
- About transplants: For terminally ill patients, a liver transplant is the only effective treatment. Patients must undergo a thorough evaluation to determine whether they are suitable candidates for transplant. The screening process addresses coexisting medical problems, such as heart damage, cancer, pancreatitis and osteoporosis, which might impact the outcome of the transplant. It also includes a psychological evaluation to identify patients who are most likely to remain abstinent and comply with the strict medical regimen that follows the procedure. Given the shortage of donated livers, transplantation to patients with alcoholic liver disease is quite controversial. The concern being that the transplanted liver could be “wasted” if a patient relapses to drinking and damages the new liver.
- Sudden Death Syndrome: This is an unexpected death associated with fatty liver syndrome. Often, the victim is physically active days or even hours before death. A complete autopsy may reveal an enlarged, fatty liver plus other subtle characteristics of chronic alcoholism. The victims always have a heavy drinking background, but have not had a drink in the previous 12 to 36 hours prior to the onset. Medical examiners traditionally certify these deaths as "fatty liver," "hepatic failure," or simply "chronic alcoholism."
Pancreatitis: An inflammation of the pancreas, with severe abdominal pain and weight loss that can be fatal. The pancreas helps to regulate the body's blood sugar levels by producing insulin, and it has a role in digesting the food we eat. Heavy drinking can lead to pancreatitis. Chronic pancreatitis is associated with chronic pain, diarrhea, and weight loss.
Damaged Reproduction: Many hormones regulate the human reproductive system. The most important are androgens (e.g., testosterone) and estrogens (e.g., estradiol). Mainly the testes and ovaries synthesize these hormones. In men, hormones are primarily responsible for sexual maturation, sperm development and fertility. In women, they promote the development of secondary sexual characteristics, such as breast development, the distribution of body hair, regulation of the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. Heavy drinking can greatly interfere with all of these functions. In men, alcohol is directly toxic to the testes, causing reduced testosterone levels. Prolonged testosterone deficiency may contribute to a "femininization" of male sexual characteristics, for example breast enlargement. In women, heavy drinking can contribute to the cessation of menstruation, irregular menstrual cycles, menstrual cycles without ovulation, early menopause and increased risk of spontaneous miscarriage. Although most of these reproductive problems were found in alcohol dependent women, some were also observed in women classified as social drinkers.
Sleep Problems: The average adult sleeps 8 hours each night. Sleep disturbances related to alcohol abuse include an increase in the time required to fall asleep, frequent awakenings and a decrease in sleep quality associated with daytime fatigue. Excessive daytime sleepiness is associated with memory deficits, impaired social and occupational function and car crashes. Because of alcohol's sedating effect, many people with insomnia consume alcohol to promote sleep. However, alcohol consumed within one hour of bedtime appears to disrupt the second half of the sleep period. Finally, alcohol consumption at bedtime increases the risk for sleep apnea. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a disorder in which the upper air passage (pharynx located at the back of the mouth) narrows or closes during sleep. The interrupted breathing (apnea) wakens the person, who then resumes breathing and returns to sleep.
