Study of cardiovascular manifestations in individuals with alcohol abuse

ABSTRACT

Background: For nearly 150 years, alcohol consumption has been associated with a variety of cardiovascular diseases. The relationship between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular diseases is complex. The effects of alcohol on the heart include modification of the risk of coronary artery disease, development of alcoholic cardiomyopathy, exacerbation of conduction disorders, atrial and ventricular dysrhythmias, increased risk of hypertension, and fetal heart abnormalities. The purpose of our research is to study the cardiovascular manifestations in individuals with alcohol abuse in our setup. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess the spectrum of cardiovascular manifestations using clinical examination, lipid profile, and echocardiography (ECHO) in individuals with alcohol abuse compared to normal population. Materials and Methods: This case–control study was done in the Department of Medicine, Civil Hospital, Aizawl. The total sample size of 154 individuals was selected. Of which there were 84 cases of individuals with alcohol abuse (as per Diagnostic and Statistical Manual -IV criteria) within the age group of 18–70 years. Seventy age-, sex-, and weight-matched lifetime abstainers, healthy individuals were taken as controls from medicine outpatient department. They underwent a detailed clinical examination, lipid profile, and two-dimensional ECHO to assess the cardiovascular manifestations. Results: About 14.3% of the individuals with alcohol abuse were hypertensive. There was positive correlation between alcohol abuse and hypertriglyceridemia (143.8 ± 43.8). Echocardiographic mean left ventricular mass index (LVMI) among the individuals with alcohol abuse was 96.9 ± 3.4 and among the controls was 89.7 ± 4.89. Conclusion: Our study showed that the prevalence of hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and echocardiographic findings of increased LVMI and diastolic dysfunction is higher in the individuals with alcohol abuse as compared to the normal population.