The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) estimates more than 7.9 million Americans are alcohol dependent. Chronic, excessive alcohol consumption can potentially harm every organ system in the body. The liver, brain, nerves, heart and other organs prove vulnerable to the damaging effects of alcohol. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states roughly 79,000 Americans die each year of alcohol-related causes.
Liver Disease
Alcoholism can cause serious harm to the liver. The liver metabolizes alcohol. The chemical acetaldehyde is one of the breakdown products of alcohol. It is also a toxin, which damages the liver and other organs. Alcoholic fatty liver is the first disorder in the alcoholic liver disease continuum. With persistent alcohol use, alcoholic hepatitis may develop. This chronic inflammation of the liver causes progressive liver scarring and malfunction. Most people with alcoholic hepatitis eventually develop liver cirrhosis, an irreversible loss of normal liver structure and function. Cirrhosis may lead to liver failure or liver cancer. NIAAA reports roughly 13,000 Americans died of alcohol-related cirrhosis in 2005.
Brain Damage
Permanent brain damage can often result due to alcoholism. Learning, memory, language, problem solving, balance and coordination may become affected. Many alcoholics suffer from malnourishment and have a thiamine deficiency. The combination of high-level alcohol consumption and a thiamine deficiency can cause severe brain disorders including Wernicke’s encephalopathy, Korsokoff’s psychosis and Marchiafava-Bignami disease. Symptoms of these diseases include disorientation, confusion, agitation, inappropriate or dulled emotions, inability to focus attention, drowsiness, and loss of balance, incoordination, tremors, memory loss and amnesia.
Nerve Damage
Alcoholics present a risk for nerve damage, which can occur throughout the body. Burning, tingling or numbness may develop in the extremities due to damaged sensory nerves. Damage to nerves controlling the muscles may lead to loss of muscle mass, weakness, and poor coordination. Nerves that control involuntary body functions can also become damaged causing impotence, swallowing difficulties and heart rate abnormalities.
Heart Damage
Excessive alcohol consumption over a period of years can lead to a serious heart condition called alcoholic cardiomyopathy. The heart muscle sustains damage due to prolonged exposure to alcohol and its toxic byproduct, acetaldehyde. The damaged heart wall thins and the heart balloons. Heart failure and death may result from this disorder.
Cancer
Alcoholic cirrhosis increases the risk of liver cancer. However, alcoholism also increases the risk for other cancers including cancers of the esophagus, larynx, mouth and breast.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can cause permanent damage to the developing tissues of the unborn baby. The resulting disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), may be mild or severe. High levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy are associated with more severe FAS. Possible signs and symptoms of FAS include facial malformations, heart defects, slow growth, brain abnormalities, and learning and behavioral problems. Fetal alcohol syndrome is a life-long condition.
About this Author
Tina St. John has been a medical writer and editor since 2000. She has published in “Cancer,” “Ethnicity & Disease,” and “Liver Health Today.” She is the author of “With Every Breath: A Lung Cancer Guidebook” and editor of “Hepatitis C Choices.” She holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from Emory University and a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry from the University of South Florida.
