Echocardiographic assessment of alcohol consumers in different clinical stages

In relation to the importance of cardiac damage in alcohol drinkers this study aims to check the modifications of some cardiac sonographic parameters in drinkers examined at different stages of alcohol intoxication. Seventy-seven male subjects (43 +/- 9 years old) were divided into 3 groups in relation to the biohumoral alterations used for the diagnosis of chronic alcoholism (increase of GGT and MGV). EF, interventricular septum hypertrophy, LVEdD and the presence of left ventricular diastolic failure were considered. All these cardiac sonographic parameters "in toto" were first compared with the same parameters of a group of normal subjects and then the differences of these sonographic parameters between the 3 groups of drinkers were evaluated. These data confirm the early onset of cardiac damage and also that the cardiac alterations may occur before the modifications of the biohumoral parameters considered too. The alterations of the cardiac sonographic parameters considered in this study seem to be a good marker for the identification, quantification and staging of cardiac damage. Interventricular septum hypertrophy, EF and EDV (in this sequence) are to be considered usefull for the diagnosis of cardiac damage in alcohol drinkers. However also LVEdD and the presence of left ventricular diastolic failure are to be evaluated before any therapy.