Complications of alcoholism: The effects on the body’s systems
Examples of alcohol-related complications that can affect multiple body systems are described below. Heavy alcohol use raises the risk for myopathies and fractures, whereas even low levels of alcohol intake increase the odds for recurrent gout attacks. Below are potential alcohol-related medical complications by body system. Your primary care provider will refer you to a hematologist if you have continued significant bruising larger than one centimeter with no known trauma.
Alcoholic fatty liver disease
Signs of a blood clot include redness and swelling that gets worse over time and pain in the limb. For instance, if you have a blood clot in your leg, you may have pain in your calf, behind your knee, or in your thigh or groin. You may get them if you had a fall, got hurt playing sports, or bumped into a piece of furniture. People over 65 years old and those assigned female at birth (AFAB) are more likely to get bruises than others because these groups generally have thinner skin and smaller blood vessels.
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Based on the results, your doctor maybe able to diagnose the underlying cause of cirrhosis. They may also recommend imaging tests like an MR elastogram that checks for scarring in the liver or an MRI of the abdomen, CT scan or an ultrasound. A biopsy may also be required to identify the severity, extent and cause of liver damage.
Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is usually a result of liver damage from conditions such as hepatitis B or C, or chronic alcohol use. But if caught early enough and depending on the cause, there is a chance of slowing it with treatment. And even in the most severe cases, liver transplants and new treatments provide those suffering from cirrhosis with hope. This article explores the early signs and symptoms of alcoholic liver disease, its stages, causes, risk factors, treatments, and prevention. Although stopping drinking alcohol is the most effective treatment for alcoholic liver disease, it is not a complete cure.
- If you also feel tired, achy, and weak all the time, or lose weight without trying to, give your doctor a call.
- While alcohol sends you into dreamland quicker, there’s a good chance that having too much will lead to a night of tossing and turning once its sedative effects wear off.
- Having a healthcare professional come to your house to assist with your needs can relieve a lot of added stress on you to keep track of your treatment plan alone.
- Blood thinners such as warfarin, heparin, and aspirin can cause you to bleed and get bruises more often.
If you’re concerned about bruising, talk to your doctor about Inhalant Withdrawal as a Clinically Significant Feature of Inhalant Dependence Disorder PMC other possible causes. Nerves don’t have a resilient ability to regenerate if they are severely damaged. So, the nerve damage of alcoholic neuropathy is generally permanent and likely to worsen if the person does not stop drinking.
Alcoholic neuropathy is a condition in which drinking too much alcohol causes damage to nerve tissue. For the average healthy guy (say, drinking one or two drinks per night, or fewer than 14 drinks per week) the alcohol-related effects on bruising are temporary, and no real cause for concern. When someone develops an alcohol use disorder, they will show signs or symptoms that are characteristic of this condition.
Finally, alcoholics may have a deficiency of vitamin C, which is important for healing wounds. If you bruise easily and are worried that it may be a sign of alcoholism, talk to your doctor. It’s less serious than a bone break, but the injury has damaged some part of the inside structure of your bone.
