A descriptive study regarding prevalence and correlates of cardiomyopathy among patients of alcohol dependence syndrome attending a tertiary care hospital in North India

Background Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a significant cause of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). ACM progresses from subclinical diastolic dysfunction, detectable through advanced imaging techniques like echocardiography and MRI, to systolic dysfunction. There is a scarcity of Indian studies investigating the prevalence and characteristics of ACM. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the prevalence of cardiomyopathy among patients diagnosed with Alcohol Dependence Syndrome (ADS) and to assess reversibility of the cardiac changes observed longitudinally with 6 months abstinence from alcohol. Methodology The study was conducted in the Department of Psychiatry at a tertiary care hospital in North India. 80 male in patients with newly diagnosed ADS were included in study. Transthoracic 2D Echocardiography was performed to detect any electrophysiological or structural changes in the heart. Statistical analysis was done using the Mann-Whitney Test, Chi-Square test, or unpaired T test. Results Cardiomyopathy was present in 20%(n=16) ADS patients. Out of 16 patients, 12(75%) had grade 1 and 4(25%) had Grade 3 CM. The patients were consuming alcohol over a mean period of 11.75 years with mean consumption of 230.29 kg of alcohol and there was a significant association seen in years of drinking with cardiomyopathy (P=0.044). The abstinence from alcohol led to an improvement of structural changes in the heart in 37.50 % of patients. Conclusion It becomes important to monitor heart health in chronic alcoholics. A multidisciplinary approach involving cardiologists, psychiatrists, and addiction specialists should be adopted in the management of patients with alcohol dependence syndrome.