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[Mortality of dilated myocardiopathies as a function of continuation of alcohol drinking. Multivariate analysis
M Haissaguerre1, B Fleury, A Gueguen
1Hôpital St-André, Bordeaux.
Insights
For patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, heavy alcohol consumption is linked to worse outcomes. Abstaining from alcohol significantly improves prognosis, highlighting its importance for heart health.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Toxicology
- Public Health
Background:
- Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a significant cause of heart failure.
- Alcohol consumption is a known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, including DCM.
- The specific impact of continued heavy drinking versus abstinence on DCM prognosis requires further clarification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clinical characteristics of DCM in heavy alcohol drinkers.
- To compare the long-term outcomes of DCM patients based on alcohol consumption patterns (heavy drinking vs. abstinence vs. non-alcoholic).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 236 consecutive DCM patients.
- Categorization into heavy drinkers (n=110), abstainers (n=49), and continued drinkers (n=61).
- Cox proportional hazards model used to analyze survival data over a mean follow-up of 39 months.
Main Results:
- Heavy alcohol drinkers presented with higher pulmonary pressures at diagnosis compared to abstainers.
- Mortality rates due to heart disease were highest in heavy drinkers (50.8%), followed by non-alcoholic patients (36.2%), and lowest in abstainers (6.12%).
- Alcohol abstinence was a highly significant (P < 0.001) independent factor for favorable prognosis in DCM.
Conclusions:
- Heavy alcohol consumption is associated with poorer outcomes in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.
- Complete abstinence from alcohol is a critical determinant of improved survival in DCM patients.
- Clinicians should counsel DCM patients on the detrimental effects of alcohol and strongly recommend abstinence.
Abstract:
A retrospective study was conducted in 236 consecutive patients with dilated cardiomyopathy to determine the characteristics of the disease in heavy alcohol drinkers (n = 110) and to study its outcome, using a Cox model, according to whether the patients were abstainers (n = 49) or continued to indulge drinking (n = 61). At the time of diagnosis, pulmonary pressures were higher in heavy drinkers than in abstainers. During a mean follow-up period of 39 +/- 27 months, 80 patients died of heart disease, viz.: 46 out of 127 non-alcoholic patients (36.2 per cent), 31 out of 61 heavy drinkers (50.8 per cent) and 3 out of 49 patients who had given up alcohol (6.12 per cent). Thus, independently of other parameters, abstinence is a highly significant (P less than 0.001) factor of favourable prognosis in dilated cardiomyopathy.