Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)

Alcohol is the most widely consumed chemical substance in the world. Exposure to high levels of alcohol for a long period could lead to progressive cardiac dysfunction and heart failure. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a cardiac dysfunction associated with chronic and excessive alcohol intake. In spite of its clinical importance, data on ACM and how alcohol damages the heart is limited. In this article, we evaluate the available data linking excessive alcohol consumption with heart failure and dilated cardiomyopathy. The study was conducted in Warangal and a total of 124 patients admitted in the hospital with DCM were included and the subjects were screened based on drinking patterns of alcohol. Alcohol without abstinence was a strong predictor of cardiac death. This suggests that a more aggressive approach to alcohol cessation is needed in these patients. Key words: Alcohol; Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM); Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM); Heart failure