title: Alcoholic cardiomyopathy and cardiovascular events - an insight from the Liptov region.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was conducted to study the association between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular events and echocardiographical parameters in 100 consumers with the average daily dose <120 g and ≥120 g of alcohol per day during a 4-year follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  100 patients/heavy alcohol consumers (on average ≥ 80 g daily), with no cardiovascular disease, divided into 2 groups, underwent a baseline echocardiographic and clinical evaluation and were followed-up for cardiovascular events, biochemical analysis and rhythm disorder for 4 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data regarding the dose and duration of alcohol consumption showed a low correlation and nonlinear character between the duration of alcohol consumption and monitored parameters. There were no differences between the groups in the echo-parameters ejection fraction EF (p=0.43), in the diameter of left atrium LA (p=0.51). Left chamber - LVEDD - was slightly bigger in the group with a heavier drinking pattern (p=0.09). There were no differences in biochemical parameters between the groups. When comparing these two groups of consumers the percentage of diabetes mellitus (p=0.283), episodes of heart failure (p=0.308), atrial fibrillation (p=0.652), cerebral vascular accident (p=0.722) and delirium (p=0.559) were not significantly different; only 2 subjects suffered from myocardial infarction during the follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude, that no significant differences (p<0.05) between the two groups of heavy alcohol consumers were observed in echo parameters, biochemical values and cardiovascular events (Tab. 4, Ref. 28).
authors.affiliation: Liptov Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, ICU, Liptovsky, Mikulas, Slovakia. peter.kycina@gmail.com
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kycina
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Murin
mesh_terms: D002310:Cardiomyopathy, Alcoholic / Q000150:complications*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018154:Slovakia
keywords: alcoholic cardiomyopathy, echocardiography, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, delirium.