Can Alcohol Cause a Stroke? Different Strokes & Other Health Consequences

Investigators have used a variety is dmt addictive of noninvasive tests to evaluate the acute effects of alcohol consumption on myocardial function and hemodynamics in healthy humans. As with isolated animal heart experiments, some investigators have found that acute alcohol exposure (blood alcohol levels 40 to 110 mg%) depresses myocardial systolic function in humans (Delgado et al. 1975; Lang et al. 1985; Timmis et al. 1975). However, these changes were transient, with small changes from baseline. For example, in one study, the ejection fraction decreased by 4 percent after alcohol consumption (Delgado et al. 1975).

Researchers have not determined if this is caused by the effects of alcohol on the brain or is the result of thiamine deficiency. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drinking less or not at all may help you avoid neurological harm. Females can be more susceptible than males to many of the negative consequences of alcohol use, such as nerve damage, as they may begin to see effects from a lower amount of alcohol consumption. Researchers have found evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction or impaired bioenergetics related to alcohol consumption. This is not surprising, because mitochondria are a major target for free-radical injury.

STUDY FUNDING

Dysfunctional mitochondria are less efficient, can become a source of ROS, and are more likely to initiate apoptosis (Marzetti et al. 2013). Finally, as this is an observational study, it cannot show causality between using alcohol and the risk of developing different kinds of stroke. A stroke, sometimes known as a brain attack, is a situation that can occur at any time. It describes a scenario where blood flow to a portion of the brain is cut off. Depending on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how long the person is affected by it, functions like memory may be diminished or lost. Ultimately, the best way to prevent alcohol-related neurologic disease is to not drink alcohol.

In contrast to control mice, the IGF-1–expressing animals exhibited no evidence of changes in expression of antioxidant enzymes (i.e., superoxide dismutase-1) or any decreases in contractile function after 16 weeks of ethanol consumption. The findings suggest a protective effect of overexpression of IGF-1 in the transgenic animals (Zhang et al. 2014). Evidence of oxidative stress is found after short periods of alcohol consumption (2 to 18 weeks), at least in animal models. These data suggest that antioxidant defense mechanisms that attempt to protect the heart against oxidative damage appear to be initiated soon after drinking alcohol. Also, as noted below, data from other studies demonstrate the protective role of administered antioxidants, such as a synthetic compound that mimics the native superoxide dismutase enzyme, called a superoxide dismutase mimetic. This suggests a direct or indirect role for ethanol-mediated oxidative stress in the heart (Jiang et al. 2012; Tan et al. 2012).

Mechanisms Related to Alcohol’s Positive and Adverse Effects on CV Conditions

There has been and will continue to be the question of how much is too much when it comes to alcoholic beverage consumption. The State is about to change the legal limit of blood alcohol and the definition of driving under the influence making it easier to be classified as under the influence. There are no studies that I am aware of that relate the blood or breath analyzer alcohol level with risk of heart disease, cancer or stroke the big three concerns we have with regard to healthy aging. However, there are some studies that relate the amount of alcohol consumed per day and the risk (chance) of having a stroke. Other researchers have used genetic approaches (i.e., transgenic animals) to prevent ethanol-induced oxidative stress. One approach included overexpression of proteins such as insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), which stimulates growth and cell proliferation and has antiapoptotic effects (see Zhang et al. 2014).

And a doctor may use brain-imaging techniques to monitor treatment over time. Once you stop alcohol intake, a doctor can address your specific symptoms. Doctors tailor specific treatments and alcohol abstinence programs to the individual.

Additionally, patients with new onset of an acute neurological syndrome compatible with stroke were screened upon admission to emergency departments. Presumed stroke etiology was classified using an abbreviated Trial of Org in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) system19. Alcohol misuse can lead to neurological damage that can affect multiple areas of a person’s health and well-being.

Impact of Drinking Patterns and Types of Alcoholic Beverages on Risk

1. Avoiding alcohol is the best way to treat these conditions and relieve symptoms.
2. Drinking while taking aspirin can increase the risk of stomach bleeding.
3. P-values for trend between genotypes and baseline characteristics were calculated using chi-square test for categorical variables and Kruskal-Wallis test for continuous variables.
4. Oxidative stress is an imbalance between production of free radicals and the body’s ability to detoxify or fight off their harmful effects through neutralization by antioxidants.

The associations between drinking and CV diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, and cardiomyopathy have been studied extensively and are outlined in this review. Although many behavioral, genetic, and biologic variants influence the interconnection between alcohol use and CV disease, dose and pattern of alcohol consumption seem to modulate this most. Low-to-moderate alcohol use may mitigate certain mechanisms such as risk and hemostatic factors affecting atherosclerosis and inflammation, pathophysiologic processes integral to most CV disease. Both the negative and positive effects of alcohol use on particular CV conditions are presented here.

However, ascertaining the exact alcohol consumption threshold for determining both the benefit and risk has been challenging, and threshold levels continue to differ across studies. Since the case-crossover design uses subjects as their own controls, there can be no mirtazapine and alcohol confounding by risk factors that are stable over time22. Confounding by factors that change over time within individuals can occur.

Patients were also asked to report the timing of their last exposure to other potential triggers and usual frequency of these factors over the prior year, including caffeine, fun group activities for substance abuse treatment cigarette smoking, marijuana, cocaine, stress, anger and physical activity. Other information collected from the interview included medication use and symptoms on the day of the stroke. It is important to note that, unlike other studies with more discrete alcohol consumption categories, alcohol use was nonspecifically defined in INTERHEART as the consumption of at least 1 alcoholic beverage within the previous 12 months (Leong et al. 2014). Interestingly, the strength of this association was not consistent across different geographic regions.

In the Miró study, alcohol drinkers also had been receiving pharmacologic treatments such as beta-adrenergic blocking agents that reduce blood pressure and also may have antioxidant effects. Mechanisms related to the positive and adverse effects of alcohol on cardiovascular conditions, such as coronary heart disease and stroke as well as cardiomyopathy. Different mechanisms may be in effect depending on the dose, duration, and pattern of alcohol consumption.

Now that Thanksgiving is here, it is important to remind ourselves of the dangers of seasonal binge drinking. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) warn about the myths around alcohol use and give advice on how to drink safely during the holidays. Drinking alcohol, particularly in excess, can certainly contribute to the chances of having a stroke. If alcohol is affecting your health but you’re struggling to quit, it may be time to reach out for help. The Recovery Village provides a full continuum of care that helps clients safely detox from alcohol and learn strategies for lifelong health and recovery.