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Rosa GM, Scagliola R, Zoppoli G, Perna V, Buscaglia A, Berri A, Della Bona R, Porto I, Pellicano R, Testino G. May standard basal echocardiogram allow to obtain predictors of asymptomatic cardiac dysfunction in alcoholics? Minerva Med 2021; 112:786-791. [PMID: 34672172 DOI: 10.23736/s0026-4806.21.07848-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Long-lasting heavy alcohol intake has been progressively recognized as a leading cause of non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, involving 10% of all people who use alcohol. It is of huge importance to identify the earliest markers of this dysfunction and it is known that the newest echocardiographic techniques such as speckle tracking may allow to do it. In this study we investigated if standard basal echocardiogram features allow to obtain predictors of asymptomatic cardiac dysfunction in alcoholics. METHODS A population of 80 consecutive asymptomatic alcoholics was enrolled. None presented history, signs or symptoms of cardiovascular disease. All of them underwent a conventional transthoracic mono-bidimensional and doppler echocardiography. RESULTS Our cohort did not present echocardiographic findings of increased left ventricular sizes, mass or relative wall thickness. Hence, a significant rate of systolic dysfunction was not found. Furthermore, statistical analysis displayed an inverse relationship between alcohol consumption and systolic pulmonary arterial pressure as well as between alcohol abuse and left atrium enlargement. This may be explained by a potential vasodilator mechanism occurring in the earliest stages of alcohol intake. On the contrary, a positive correlation with the E/A ratio was found, and this might be ascribed to state of high cardiac output determined by alcohol abuse. There were modes sex-related differences. CONCLUSIONS This study has demonstrated that standard echocardiography may allow to predict cardiac dysfunction in asymptomatic alcoholics, and sex-related differences may be identified in this regard. These data need to be confirmed by further studies involving larger population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gian Marco Rosa
- Department of Internal Medicine (Di.M.I.) Clinic of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Genova, Genova, Italy.,IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy - Italian IRCCS Cardiovascular Network
| | - Riccardo Scagliola
- Department of Internal Medicine (Di.M.I.) Clinic of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Gabriele Zoppoli
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy - Italian IRCCS Cardiovascular Network.,Department of Internal Medicine (Di.M.I.) Internal Medicine and Oncology Unit, University of Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Valentina Perna
- Department of Internal Medicine (Di.M.I.) Clinic of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Angelo Buscaglia
- Department of Internal Medicine (Di.M.I.) Clinic of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Alessandro Berri
- Unit of Addiction and Hepatology, Alcohological Regional Centre, ASL3 c/o San Martino Hospital, Genova, Italy
| | - Roberta Della Bona
- Department of Internal Medicine (Di.M.I.) Clinic of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Genova, Genova, Italy.,IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy - Italian IRCCS Cardiovascular Network
| | - Italo Porto
- Department of Internal Medicine (Di.M.I.) Clinic of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Genova, Genova, Italy.,IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy - Italian IRCCS Cardiovascular Network
| | | | - Gianni Testino
- Unit of Addiction and Hepatology, Alcohological Regional Centre, ASL3 c/o San Martino Hospital, Genova, Italy -
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Testino G, Balbinot P. A comment on alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk. Minerva Endocrinol (Torino) 2021; 47:256-257. [PMID: 33829751 DOI: 10.23736/s2724-6507.21.03403-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gianni Testino
- Unit of Addiction and Hepatology, Alcohological Regional Centre -
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianni Testino
- Unit of Addiction and Hepatology, Alcohological Regional Center, ASL3 c/o Polyclinic San Martino Hospital, Genoa, Italy - .,I.CO.NA Italian Collaborating Network on Alcohol of World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Health Promotion and Research on Alcohol, ISS, Rome, Italy - .,Italian Society on Alcohol, Bologna, Italy -
| | - Fabio Caputo
- Italian Society on Alcohol, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Internal Medicine, SS Annunziata Hospital, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Valentino Patussi
- I.CO.NA Italian Collaborating Network on Alcohol of World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Health Promotion and Research on Alcohol, ISS, Rome, Italy.,Italian Society on Alcohol, Bologna, Italy.,Unit of Alcohology, Alcohological Regional Center, Polyclinic Careggi Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Emanuele Scafato
- I.CO.NA Italian Collaborating Network on Alcohol of World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Health Promotion and Research on Alcohol, ISS, Rome, Italy.,Italian Society on Alcohol, Bologna, Italy.,National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy
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