Many perceive beer as a soft drink, rather than alcohol. In fact, drinking beer is more dangerous than wine, brandy, vodka. After all, you can drink a lot of beer, and vodka quickly knocks down.

It is with beer that heart problems begin (“beer heart”, “bull heart”, “kapron stocking syndrome” are all the names of this ailment), and alcohol dependence develops.

Stages and symptoms of a "beer heart"

The condition of the beer heart depends on the stage of alcoholism. So, at the initial stage, there are still no symptoms of heart damage, but there is already cause for concern!

A person is quite capable of controlling the dose of alcohol consumed. With daily use of small doses, it gradually leads to the development of addiction.

At first, only high spirits are felt, but in the future, this will require an increase in dose. This is the second stage of alcoholism, in which some pathological changes in the structure of heart tissue are already noticeable.

The last stage is characterized by the constant need for the use of alcoholic beverages. In this case, intoxication occurs even from small doses. An alcoholic becomes aggressive, symptoms of damage not only to the heart, but also to the liver, brain.

It is at the last stage of alcoholism that the heart already has dimensions that are twice the norm. Heart walls are thickened, fragility of blood vessels is increased. In this regard, the amount of incoming oxygen decreases.

With such violations, the following symptoms appear:

1. Rapid fatigue;
2. Pain in the heart;
3. Arrhythmia;
4. Dyspnea.

Important! Without proper treatment and continuing to drink beer and other types of alcohol, the pathology will progress and may lead to heart failure and heart failure.

A “beer” heart is difficult to diagnose, as the symptoms are similar to other heart diseases.

A characteristic sign of this disease can be called spontaneous fibrillation and associated pathologies in alcoholism - damage to the pancreas, liver. It is possible to judge the patient's condition based on the results of diagnostic studies - ultrasound, x-ray, MRI.

Disease treatment

When diagnosed with a beer (bull) heart, it is highly recommended that you stop drinking first and foremost.

For many, getting rid of alcohol addiction is very difficult. And you may need professional help in special institutions.

While the patient continues to drink alcoholic beverages, the use of any treatment is pointless, and in some cases can even significantly worsen the condition of the heart and the whole organism.

In the initial stages, the rejection of alcohol already leads to stabilization of the heart and prolonged remission.

In more severe stages, the appointment of drugs that support cardiac activity is required:

• Glycosides;
• Beta-blockers;
• Diuretics;
• Vitamin complexes;
• Hormonal medication;
• Potassium;
• Magnesium preparations.

Even with the complete exclusion of alcohol and the implementation of all medical recommendations and prescriptions, a reduction in heart size is not possible.

It is only possible to compensate for all pathological processes, that is, cardiac activity adapts to the state of the heart, for example, compensation of myocardial functions.

In the last stage of alcoholism and in a severe degree of the disease, cure is impossible and a fatal outcome occurs within 3 to 5 years.

Conclusion

Beer alcoholism provokes not only problems with the heart, brain, liver.

Blood vessels are also damaged, potency decreases, and functional functions of the gastrointestinal tract are impaired.

This species, at this age, the final formation of the whole organism occurs, and under the influence of alcohol-containing drinks, health problems may arise in the future.

Video: Beer heart

Beer alcoholism is more dangerous than vodka, for many reasons. The main danger lies in the fact that excessive love of beer (gambrinism) is rarely taken seriously, and its manifestations are not so obvious. However, a drink made from barley and hops adversely affects the cardiovascular system, causing the so-called beer heart. One of the synonyms of this pathology - the bull heart - most eloquently describes the changes that occur with the organ.

As a result, the volume of drink is measured in liters, not grams. This is an unimaginable load on:

• excretory system (kidneys, bladder);
• biliary system (liver, gall bladder);
• cardiovascular system.

The work of organs "in emergency mode" requires the same activity of the heart, because it should increase the flow of blood to these organs. It works, as they say, to wear out, and with continued consumption of beer, the heart muscle really begins to change. As the load increases, muscle mass builds up - hence the increase in size.

An increase in heart load causes hypertrophy of the heart muscle. The internal results of this effect are expressed in a decrease in the volume of the cavity of the heart and a decrease in the contractility of the muscle, it increases in volume and becomes flabby. The bulk of the organ in a beer alcoholic is a thickened myocardium. The heart increases in size, while it is not able to fully

• supply blood to the body and
• recover after a load.

This is due to the first symptoms of a beer heart - shortness of breath and heart palpitations (tachycardia), which occur even with low physical exertion.

All the consequences of beer alcoholism are difficult to list. Here, renal failure, and cirrhotic transformation of the liver, and varicose veins, and much more. Even such a brewing achievement as non-alcoholic beer strikes the body, because it contains, firstly, alcohol, albeit a small amount, and secondly, hop derivatives.

The most harmless consequence is the so-called beer belly - significant fat deposits on the abdominal wall. This is the result of exposure to phytoestrogens in beer. But beer obesity concerns not only the abdomen: deposits of varying degrees are present on the chest, and on the limbs, and on other parts of the body.

But obesity is not only an aesthetic defect, it is also a direct path to heart failure. The alcoholic carries this excess weight on his feet, while forcing the heart to work in an enhanced mode. This disease is known by its scientific name.

The heartbeat of a beer heart with little physical activity can correspond to the heart rate of a healthy person doing heavy physical work.

Symptoms of Alcoholic Myocardiopathy

Beer heart syndrome is a collection of changes that occur in the heart when beer is misused. These symptoms are very similar to those of cardiac diseases, and it is extremely difficult to find out the true cause of degeneration of the heart muscle if the patient hides the fact that he is an alcoholic.

Symptoms, their severity depend on the duration of abuse and the amount of beer consumed. The longer and more a person drinks, the more his heart changes.

At the initial stage, signs of myocardiopathy are:

• periodic tingling in the chest on the left (cardialgia);
• hot flashes, accompanied by excessive sweating;
• dyspnea;
• behavioral changes (fussiness, nervousness, excessive talkativeness).

If you do not pay attention to the first symptoms of a beer heart in time and continue to consume a large amount of beer, the symptoms increase. Shortness of breath intensifies, severe heart pain appears. Due to circulatory disorders and kidney function, swelling of the limbs and face is observed.

Symptoms in a severe stage, when the changes are already irreversible - cyanosis of the mucous membranes, cold limbs, heavy sweating. In the end, the body may not withstand this load.

In the third stage of myocardiopathy, the prognosis of life expectancy is not more than 5 years.

With an increase in alcohol experience, the likelihood of restoring the functionality of the cardiovascular system decreases. With gambrinism for 20 years or more, a person is diagnosed with:

• heart failure;
• hypertension;
• atherosclerosis;
• coronary artery disease etc.

The risk of stroke and heart attack increases.

What to do

Patients turn to cardiologists, as a rule, already at severe stages of heart failure, when symptoms indicate a significant disruption of the entire body. For diagnosis, fluoroscopy is often necessary.

Patients are extremely rarely recognized in their alcohol dependence, therefore, treatment in this case will be more likely symptomatic, since there is no way to influence the main cause of the disease - alcoholism. And, meanwhile, refusal of beer is the main condition for successful drug therapy.

If alcoholic cardiomyopathy is diagnosed in the last stages, that is, the final and irreversible degeneration of the heart muscle is recorded, along with a complete rejection of alcohol, you need to review the diet, excluding heavy foods (animal fats, salted, smoked, etc.), and be careful to physical activity. This will help extend the life span and improve its quality. With heart pain, medications are prescribed. Concomitant diseases (hypertension, cirrhosis, etc.) must be treated according to a separate scheme according to the doctor's prescription.

Timely diagnosis of alcoholic myocardiopathy (beer heart) will help prevent serious diseases if pathology is detected at an early stage, or to improve the quality of remaining life if irreversible changes have occurred in the heart muscle.

The culture of beer consumption, which has entered the mass consciousness over the past 20 years, creates a serious problem of alcoholization and its attendant problems. Excessive consumption of beer, like any other alcohol, disrupts the normal course of processes in the body, negatively affecting all systems, including the cardiovascular system. Beer is not a safe product at all, but beer alcoholism becomes the cause of serious ailments, one of which is the beer heart. In the photo, the difference between a beer and a healthy heart is obvious, because due to the constant lack of vitamin B1, which is inevitable with the systematic intake of alcohol, the heart muscle grows pathologically, which invariably causes malfunctions in the heart. It is worth noting that such a pathology is found only in people with a damaged heart. However, many people simply do not suspect that there are problems with the cardiovascular system, since at the initial stage the symptoms do not cause concern. Under such conditions, unlimited consumption of beer leads to disastrous consequences.

Features of the effect of beer on the human body

Together with beer, a person consumes hop decay products, the so-called monoamines, cannabioids, which determine the effects of stupidity, drug intoxication and addiction. All this, coupled with alcohol, causes the effect of dependence on beer and leads to beer alcoholism. Addiction to beer is considered a more severe type of alcoholization than addiction to vodka, because it causes more serious consequences for both the brain and other body systems. Affected brain cells cause a noticeable decline in intelligence and depressive disorder with a sluggish psychopathic syndrome, neurosis, etc.

Consuming a large amount of beer, and during the evening a lover of a foamy drink can drink 2 or more liters, a person provides a strong load on the body, which is comparable to the load experienced by professional athletes. In addition to the harm from the effects of alcohol on the cardiovascular system, the body needs to drive out a large amount of fluid, which is not harmless to the liver, kidneys and heart. In the presence of congenital heart defects, it begins to increase from such loads. Scientists have found that the so-called beer heart or alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a consequence of the consumption of a huge amount of liquid - it is typical only for beer lovers who are not limited to one serving of their favorite drink.

How a beer heart affects well-being

The appearance of a beer heart causes problems not only with the cardiovascular system, although they pose a danger to human life. Along with high blood pressure, arrhythmia and increased heart rate, the following symptoms can be observed:

• shortness of breath and heart palpitations at the slightest exertion;
• problems with potency;
• enlarged liver.

When diagnosing these signs of symptoms, it is worthwhile to undergo an X-ray examination, which will reveal a significant increase in heart volumes.

Symptoms of Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy

Heart problems due to unlimited beer consumption can be noticed even at the initial stage of the disease. In particular, edema, shortness of breath, and heart rhythm disturbance are not a serious reason for seeking medical attention. That is why the percentage of detection of the disease at an early stage is small.

In most cases, the patient is diagnosed with acute beer cardiomyopathy, which means that there are serious problems in the body. At this stage of the disease, you will notice the following symptoms:

• increased irritability;
• fussiness, verbosity, nervousness;
• lack of air;
• pain in the heart;
• sweating, fever;
• cold limbs;
• tachycardia.

The disease develops over decades. In particular, in the first 10 years of beer abuse, you can observe signs such as heart and headaches, poor sleep, and excessive sweating. With longer beer alcoholism, shortness of breath, coughing, heart rhythm malfunctions and enlarged liver cause serious health problems. If a person has been actively drinking beer for more than 20 years, then irreversible changes begin to occur in the body.

Diagnosis of Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy

Since in most cases the symptoms of the syndrome of the so-called beer heart are similar to the symptoms of other diseases of the cardiovascular system, and patients do not provide the attending physician with information about regular beer consumption, it is difficult to diagnose such an illness. Moreover, the prognosis for such patients is unfavorable. Since often the disease is already at the second or even at the third stage, when the harm done to the body is no longer reversible, and the patient is not able to refuse to consume beer, the probability of death in the next 5 years approaches 100%. Indeed, a decrease in the contractility of the heart muscle, as well as an increase in the volume of the heart, cause heart failure. The consequence of this state of affairs is death from a stroke - in patients with a beer heart, mortality for this reason is 2 times higher than mortality rates for this reason in all other categories of the population. Do not forget about the consequences of drinking beer such as obesity, hypertension and ischemic disease, hormonal imbalance, atherosclerosis, heart failure - they also cause a number of health problems that can be fatal.

If the disease is not very neglected, then it is possible to compensate for the basic functions of the myocardium, but at this stage it is not possible to completely eliminate the pathology.

In official medical practice, there is no such diagnosis as “beer alcoholism”. The formation of alcoholism is associated with the systematic intake of ethyl alcohol. What kind of drink alcohol enters into a person does not matter.

On the other hand, in addition to the medical one, there is also the social aspect of alcoholism. Beer alcoholism is, above all, an established social practice that most people approve of and consider acceptable. For example, drinking strong alcohol in everyday situations will not be welcome, but drinking beer is considered normal and will not cause disapproval.

The selection of the so-called “light” among alcoholic beverages is similar to the practice of differentiating cigarettes by strength. Recent medical studies have shown that “lightness” does not mean harmlessness and also leads to addiction, like “fortress”.

Undoubtedly, vodka alcoholism is more difficult and aggressive. But the consequences of beer alcoholism can be much more insidious due to the softness of beer exposure.

They accumulate over time and appear in the following forms:

• Cardiovascular disease: hypertension, an increase in heart size, premature wear, varicose veins.
• Hormonal disorders: in the form of obesity, hair loss on the body - in men and coarsening of the voice, hair growth on the body - in women.
• Hepatotoxicity of beer leads to the development of cirrhosis and other liver diseases.
• Increased risk of developing colon cancer.
• Beer is a high-calorie carbohydrate product. Weight gain certainly accompanies beer lovers.
• Beer is not a pure product containing a lot of all sorts of impurities, toxins, salts and substances that the body does not require. Their accumulation throughout life leads to the progression of various diseases, which, perhaps, modern medicine does not even apply to the consequences of beer abuse.

The formation of alcoholic addiction may take long periods of time - a decade or more - depending on the frequency of use and psychological characteristics of the individual.

However, no matter how long this process is, its flow is always unidirectional and has a certain dynamics, expressed in the sequential passage of the following 3 stages:

• No signs of alcoholism:  a person controls consumption, tolerance is low, but tends to increase, drinking beer causes positive emotions.
• Initial signs of alcoholism:  consumption control weakens, stronger drinks are added to beer, tolerance reaches its peak, the first signs of withdrawal symptoms appear, daily beer consumption does not give positive emotions, but allows you to maintain a stable state.
• Severe signs of alcoholism:  a person drinks in the morning during the day, little by little, but constantly, tolerance drops sharply, intoxication comes quickly from a small amount, a formed withdrawal syndrome, an aggressive state; degradation of cognitive abilities.

Behavioral symptoms of beer dependent addiction include a range of symptoms:

• An obsessive desire to drink beer during the day, regardless of the attendant circumstances.
• Positive reaction to beer smell. The smell of beer does not allow you to think about something else.
• Daily beer intake. The amount of drink does not matter and varies depending on the stage of alcoholism: first it increases, then it decreases.
• The appearance and intensification of withdrawal symptoms over time.
• Sloppy, sloppy, indifference.

Symptoms at the body level manifest themselves in the form of:

• Weight gain.
• In men, the so-called "beer belly" appears.
• Hydration of men (in the figure, body fat, secondary sexual characteristics).
• Sexual dysfunction
• Coarsening of women (secondary sexual characteristics, voice, behavior).
• Infertility.
• Diseases of the liver, kidneys, cardiovascular system.

Colloquially called "beer heart", the disease is a form of cardiomyopathy. The causes of alcoholic cardiomyopathy are the effects of alcohol and its decay products on the myocardium.

The disease manifests itself in the following symptoms:

• Small focal necrosis of the muscle fibers of the heart, passing into fibrosis (degeneration) of the tissue.
• Fibrosis of muscle tissue leads to a progressive compensatory enlargement of the heart.
• The proliferation of connective tissue leads to the expansion of the internal cavities of the heart, while the functionality of the heart deteriorates.
• Arrhythmia.
• Conductivity disorder of the heart.
• Heart failure.
• Thromboembolic complications.

Cardiomyopathy and the accompanying myocardial dystrophy lead to structural changes at the cellular level. As a result, the dystrophic process passes into cardiosclerosis with hypertrophy of muscle fibers.

The weakening of heart function leads to the progression of heart failure and, ultimately, to cardiac arrest.

How to give up beer

The fact that the formation of dependence on beer has been going on for a long time makes it possible to refuse to drink beer without any difficulties. Admittedly, beer addiction is more a psychological addiction.

  - really. No need to bring yourself to the extreme degree of alcoholism. The longer a person abuses, the more difficult it is for him to abandon the habit.

If you can’t refuse beer right away (which is quite natural: alcohol is integrated into metabolic processes), then here are some tips that may turn out to be useful:

• Refrain from drinking beer in the morning.
• Remember how you started drinking: it happened gradually with an increase in the frequency and quantity of beer drunk. In the same sequence, only in the reverse order, you should refuse to use: from daily use go to use every other day, then on weekends, holidays, etc.
• Do not limit yourself in time: you do not have to quit tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. What is really important: a clear intention to give up beer. If the intention is serious, then in the end you will in any case sooner or later come to a sober lifestyle. The given vector is important, not the speed.
• Try to prevent beer from catching your eye at retail outlets, bypassing windows with alcohol. You will be surprised, but there are people who generally never visit these shop windows and counters, while feeling great. Be like them.
• Learn to say no to anyone who offers a drink. Dependent behavior is always built on social reinforcement and support by other members of the group. Breaking these bonds away from addictions.
• Find something that makes life meaningful. Start to draw, or make furniture - anything, even the most useless activities will be much more useful than wasting time on a drink.
• Do not think that health problems will personally bypass you. They do not go around anyone. The average lifespan of an alcoholic is 47 years.

From the point of view of medicine, beer alcoholism is not a separate disease. His therapy is carried out by general methods used to treat alcoholism. It:

• Psychotherapeutic methods.

Addiction psychotherapy includes a wide range of tools: standard psychotherapy sessions, specially developed techniques for working with addictions (Marshak), strictly suggestive coding techniques (hypnosis).

Pharmaceutical chemical blockades today are represented by numerous drugs based on two substances: disulfiram and naltrexone.

The first prevents the metabolism of ethyl alcohol in the body, leading to painful and life-threatening results when taking alcohol - a tough, radical and relatively cheap method.

The second - more humane - blocks pleasure receptors, making booze a useless activity. It should be noted that drug methods are not effective in the long term without psychotherapeutic support.

There are also those that are used alone or in combination with drug therapy.

Beer alcoholism is curable. The main condition for this is the person’s internal intention to abandon the habit.

The harm of beer to the human heart - how real is it? How much beer is already bad for the "cores"? How does the harm of beer manifest on the heart? What happens to the heart from excess fluid caused by beer? Beer harm as a cause of heart attack - is it possible? What is the chain of heart dysfunctions leading to a heart attack from excessive beer consumption?

The harm of beer. Can half a liter of beer hurt?

The benefits of small portions of alcohol, including beer, have been spoken for several decades. For example, the antioxidants contained in red wine are certainly beneficial if people could only consume a glass of wine 3 times a week. But that doesn’t work out because they increasingly like to talk about the refreshing effect of a half-liter mug of beer on a hot day. Say, beer and thirst quenches, as well as saturates with vitamins and minerals. But what harm the beer from its excessive consumption can be done to the person as a whole, and to his heart in particular - are often unaware.

It turns out that there is a category of people for whom even from half a liter of beer the harm can be incredibly strong. And there are a lot of such people - these are “cores”. We have known for a long time that all over the world, for reasons of mortality, diseases of the heart and blood vessels occupy first place. And if applicants for the second place in mortality are constantly changing (then oncological diseases, then injuries, or even the consequences of improper drug therapy or diabetes), then the first place is constantly occupied by the same “nominee” - heart pathology.

In the case of beer, heart disease is both a cause and a consequence. Many people who abuse beer soon begin to notice a number of symptoms of heart damage - this is how beer is harmed by those unaware of the consequences. Well, those who already suffer from one or another heart disease, having drunk even a small amount of “healthy” beer, feel worse. Why is this happening? What heart systems and how exactly does beer affect?

The harm of beer. How does the heart get sick?

Begin with the fact that beer is a carbonated drink. Everyone knows that the presence of carbon dioxide (simply "gas") in an alcohol solution accelerates the absorption of both alcohol and the solvent - water. Beer rarely drinks a little - usually mugs less than half a liter are rare. The rapid absorption of alcohol leads to the same rapid intoxication, and a large amount of water causes a sharp overflow of the vascular bed - the so-called hypervolemia. The harm of beer begins to manifest itself gradually, increasing its power. In order to pump this excess water, the heart has to strain harder. The muscle of the left ventricle, which pushes blood into the aorta and further through the arteries, is constantly in good shape - and from here a few steps to hypertension. And after it, as in a chain, atherosclerosis follows (hardening of blood vessels, decrease in their elasticity and, as a result, impregnation with cholesterol, both through and in the form of individual plaques). Further, the harm of beer is becoming stronger - there is a violation of cardiac blood flow (in arteries already clogged with plaques). This condition is called angina pectoris, or, in general, coronary heart disease - the extreme and acute manifestation of which is myocardial infarction - necrosis of a part of the heart muscle. Here is such a chain of beer harm. It is clear that this is not from just one mug, but from a regular, albeit small, volume of beer, consumed even not every day. There is no question of alcoholism here, it is simply the frequent use that matters.

The second, after hypervolemia, factor that makes beer very harmful for the “cores” is the presence of any cobalt mineral in any beer — it is used as a foam stabilizer. Its concentration in this case exceeds the permissible for a single entry into the body several times. This is done completely legally, such is the recipe, but cobalt acts on the heart muscle not in the best way and the harm of beer slowly manifests itself. When cobalt is used quite often (by the way, it also tends to partially accumulate in the body), myocardial (cardiac muscle) fibers become flabby, shrink badly - mitochondria, the “energy stations” of cells, die in them. Small hemorrhages, microthromboses are noted - all this together “finishes” the already unhealthy heart muscle. The harm of beer is becoming stronger, and it is getting worse and worse, because you need to pump a lot of blood. Moreover, often against high blood pressure. Therefore, over time, the heart muscle initially increases in size, compensating for the weakness of contraction, and a person develops a so-called "bovine" or "beer" heart. Its cavities expand, and then the moment comes when the heart cannot stand it and “declares”: enough, that's all - I can’t take it anymore. And it no longer tries to drive away all the incoming fluid through the vessels. As a result, the beer’s incredibly harmful harm is manifested — blood stagnates in the cavities of the heart, lungs, and veins — and a condition called “heart failure” sets in. And it is no longer treated with weed or rest. Long hospitalization, droppers, injections are already required here. And then comes a long, sometimes lifelong intake of certain drugs that energetically support the myocardium. For example, cardiac glycosides (digitalis derivatives, lily of the valley, strophanthus).

Why are people, despite such a sad experience of many fellow citizens, not fully aware of the harm of beer and continue to joyfully gobble up sausages with fat flowing from them, washing it all down with a good glass of beer? The fact is that it is precisely the large number of already "injured" citizens who continue to suffer from heart afflictions, as well as the large number of people who drink beer that create the illusion of a "norm" accepted in society. It seems to be such a thing, many drink beer, and many suffer from their hearts too - but is this somehow connected? It is the absence in the minds of most people of the connection between drinking beer and heart disease that makes these terrible diseases possible to remain on top of the terrible pedestal of human deaths. Only hardly this championship pleases someone.