Alcohol and the heart. The long-term effects of alcohol on the cardiovascular system

Moushmoush, Bassam

doi:10.1001/archinte.151.1.36

Cited by 47 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 114 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…[1][2][3] As in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), the clinical manifestations of ACM include ventricular dilatation and dysfunction. The prognosis, however, is not as poor as with DCM because abstinence from alcohol often improves the cardiac function.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Point mutations in mitochondrial DNA of patients with alcoholic cardiomyopathy

et al. 2000

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The pathogenesis of alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is not well understood. However, recent reports have shown that mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were associated with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy and cardiomyopathy. Our objective was to explore point mutations in mtDNA and the pathogenesis of ACM. We obtained heart biopsy specimens from ten male habitual drinkers with congestive heart failure. We amplified the total mtDNA obtained from these specimens using a two-step polymerase chain reaction method and analyzed the products using automated fluorescence-based direct sequencing. The sequences were compared with those of controls. MtDNA from the ACM patients contained multiple point mutations. Specifically, four of the ten patients carried five point mutations that had been detected previously in several other mitochondrial diseases. These point mutations were not observed in controls. These results suggest that mtDNA abnormalities are involved in the pathogenesis of ACM.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Point mutations in mitochondrial DNA of patients with alcoholic cardiomyopathy

et al. 2000

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…nephron number; kidney; fetus; ethanol exposure; sheep ALCOHOL (ETHANOL) CONSUMPTION during pregnancy remains common in most developed countries, but recommended guidelines on safe levels of alcohol consumption vary significantly (42). Excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy is known to result in the fetal alcohol syndrome with characteristic craniofacial dysmorphology, growth restriction, and intellectual dysfunction as the principal diagnostic features manifesting after birth (13,30,34,48). Even moderate levels of alcohol exposure are now known to adversely affect learning and behavior in infants and children.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Repeated ethanol exposure during late gestation decreases nephron endowment in fetal sheep

Gray¹,

Kenna²,

Bertram³

et al. 2008

American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comp

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Harding R, Moritz KM. Repeated ethanol exposure during late gestation decreases nephron endowment in fetal sheep. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 295: R568 -R574, 2008. First published June 18, 2008 doi:10.1152/ajpregu.90316.2008.-Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy can affect fetal development, but little is known about the effects on the developing kidney. Our objectives were to determine the effects of repeated ethanol exposure during the latter half of gestation on glomerular (nephron) number and expression of key genes involved in renal development or function in the ovine fetal kidney. Pregnant ewes received daily intravenous infusion of ethanol (0.75 g/kg, n ϭ 5) or saline (control, n ϭ 5) over 1 h from 95 to 133 days of gestational age (DGA; term is ϳ147 DGA). Maternal and fetal arterial blood samples were taken before and after the start of the daily ethanol infusions for determination of blood ethanol concentration (BEC). Necropsy was performed at 134 DGA, and fetal kidneys were collected for determination of total glomerular number using the physical disector/fractionator technique; at this gestational age nephrogenesis is completed in sheep. Maximal maternal and fetal BECs of 0.12 Ϯ 0.01 g/dl (mean Ϯ SE) and 0.11 Ϯ 0.01 g/dl, respectively, were reached 1 h after starting maternal ethanol infusions. Ethanol exposure had no effect on fetal body weight, kidney weight, or the gene expression of members of the renin-angiotensin system, insulin-like growth factors, and sodium channels. However, fetal glomerular number was lower after ethanol exposure (377,585 Ϯ 8,325) than in controls (423,177 Ϯ 17,178, P Ͻ 0.001). The data demonstrate that our regimen of fetal ethanol exposure during the latter half of gestation results in an 11% reduction in nephron endowment without affecting the overall growth of the kidney or fetus or the expression of key genes involved in renal development or function. A reduced nephron endowment of this magnitude could have important implications for the cardiovascular health of offspring during postnatal life. nephron number; kidney; fetus; ethanol exposure; sheep ALCOHOL (ETHANOL) CONSUMPTION during pregnancy remains common in most developed countries, but recommended guidelines on safe levels of alcohol consumption vary significantly (42). Excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy is known to result in the fetal alcohol syndrome with characteristic craniofacial dysmorphology, growth restriction, and intellectual dysfunction as the principal diagnostic features manifesting after birth (13,30,34,48). Even moderate levels of alcohol exposure are now known to adversely affect learning and behavior in infants and children. While there is ample evidence that prenatal ethanol exposure can affect central nervous system development, few studies have investigated the effects on other critical organs, such as the kidney. Studies of children diagnosed with FAS demonstrate that some have renal malformations (32, 37); their kidneys are often small, misshapen, and freque...

show abstract

“…O aumento da fração HDL colesterol entre os consumidores habituais de álcool é bem estabelecido e descrito como um dos fatores mais importantes que confere proteção a este grupo. Da mesma forma, sua ação em nível de plaquetas, inibindo sua agregação ou o aumento na produção e secreção do ativador do plasminogênio, leva à menor tendência trombótica e maior atividade fibrinolítica 18,19 . É importante ressaltar, que os trabalhos realizados visando correlacionar fatores de risco em pacientes infartados com coronárias angiograficamente normais 6,10 , mesmo quando constataram níveis baixos de colesterol total, não se preocuparam, no entanto, com a pesquisa da fração HDL.…”

Section: Discussionunclassified