A descriptive study regarding prevalence and correlates of cardiomyopathy among patients of alcohol dependence syndrome attending a tertiary care hospital in North India

Abstract

Background

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a significant cause of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). ACM progresses from

subclinical diastolic dysfunction, detectable through advanced imaging techniques like echocardiography and

MRI, to systolic dysfunction. There is a scarcity of Indian studies investigating the prevalence and characteristics

of ACM. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the prevalence of cardiomyopathy among patients diagnosed

with Alcohol Dependence Syndrome (ADS) and to assess reversibility of the cardiac changes observed

longitudinally with 6 months abstinence from alcohol.

Methodology

The study was conducted in the Department of Psychiatry at a tertiary care hospital in North India. 80 male in

patients with newly diagnosed ADS were included in study. Transthoracic 2D Echocardiography was performed

to detect any electrophysiological or structural changes in the heart. Statistical analysis was done using the

Mann-Whitney Test, Chi-Square test, or unpaired T test.

Results

Cardiomyopathy was present in 20%(n=16) ADS patients. Out of 16 patients, 12(75%) had grade 1 and 4(25%)

had Grade 3 CM. The patients were consuming alcohol over a mean period of 11.75 years with mean consumption

of 230.29 kg of alcohol and there was a significant association seen in years of drinking with cardiomyopathy

(P=0.044). The abstinence from alcohol led to an improvement of structural changes in the heart in 37.50 % of

patients.

Conclusion

It becomes important to monitor heart health in chronic alcoholics. A multidisciplinary approach involving

cardiologists, psychiatrists, and addiction specialists should be adopted in the management of patients with

alcohol dependence syndrome.