Illnesses Related to Alcohol Abuse
Even if statistics may vary from country to country, there are still a significant number of folks who die due to alcohol related illnesses. So just how do people die from alcohol abuse? Here are some of the effects of long-term alcohol abuse to the body:
Nervous System
An estimated thirty to fourty percent of all men have undergone alcoholic blackout in their teens or twenties. This results from drinking a large amount of alcohol which subsequently end in loss of memory with regard to spacio-temporal orientation. Sleep disturbances that result to decrease in overall sleep quality is a well-known effect of alcohol. The arms as well as legs may experience numbness and tingling. Wernicke’s as well as Korsakoff’s syndromes may occur together or separately. Low levels of Thiamine (a type of vitamin B complex) in alcohol are the culprits of both. Difficulty in walking, very poor balance as well as disordered eye movements results from Wernicke’s syndrome while Korsakoff’s syndrome damages one’s memory severely thereby preventing a person from any new learning.
Gastrointestinal system
Other alcohol related illnesses include muscular ring loosening which results in the prevention of re-entrance of stomach contents to esophagus. These causes pain and bleeding as stomach acid flows back into the esophagus. Decrease in appetite as well as bleeding and pain may also result from stomach inflammation. Esophageal varices, enlarged dilated blood vessels in the esophagus, that develop cause severe, uncontrollable bleeding. These varices are extremely prone to hemorrhaging and bursting and are developed as liver disease response. Because of the pancreatic effect of alcohol, common symptoms include diarrhea. Moreover, among alcohol related illnesses is pancreatitis or pancreatic inflammation. Absorption of nutrients is hindered by alcohol thereby creating a malnourished state. Constant alcohol levels likewise affect the liver as it is where alcohol is metabolized. A fatty liver develops as the liver is enlarged, the liver’s normal structure as well as function is hindered as by fibrous scar tissue (cirrhosis) and the organ might be inflamed (hepatitis).
Blood
Among alcohol related illnesses likewise includes changes in blood cell types. Red blood cells are abnormally enlarged. The immune system is weakened as a result of the decrease in white blood cells which fight infections. The increase risk of infections is what is said to partly account for increased cancer risk in alcoholics (which is ten times over those who don’t drink). Risk of bleeding is also increased as blood clotting factors as well as platelets increase.
Heart
Unstable blood pressure is likewise among alcohol related illnesses. Blood pressure drop results from small intake of alcohol while increased blood pressure is caused by increased use of alcohol. Heart disease risk is heightened by high fat levels in the bloodstream. Heavy drinking also causes weakened heart muscles, increased heart size, blood clot risk within coronary chambers, a heightened risk of stroke (because of blood clot entering circulatory systems from the heart to the brain and blocking a blood vessel in the brain.
Reproductive System
Alcohol related illnesses are linked to the reproductive system as well. The fertility of both men and women are decreased by heavy drinking through a decrease in size of testicle and ovary and interference with production of egg and sperm respectively. Having fetal alcohol syndrome is also a great risk to a baby whose mother is alcoholic. This results in particular facial defects as well as behavioral problems and lowered IQ.
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