Comorbidity and Alcoholism
Comorbidity describes two or more disorders or illnesses occurring in the same person. I want to discuss how Alcoholism intertwines with comorbidity. Alcoholism can cause a variety of medical conditions along with psychiatric conditions. Heavy alcohol use directly affects the brain function and alters brain chemicals and hormonal systems known to be involved in the development of many mental disorders such as mood & anxiety disorders. (Ramesh Shivani, 2002) Alcoholism can bring on a wide range of psychiatric symptoms including extreme sadness, difficulty concentrating, nervousness,fidgeting or crying. (Ramesh Shivani,2002) Alcoholism can unleash aggressive behavior , antisocial behaviors that may mimic certain externalizing disorders. (Ramesh Shivani,2002) Alcohol reeks havoc many systems in the body. Comorbid cardiovascular issues start to occur within the body when heavy alcohol use . Such cardiovascular issues include high blood pressure, irregular heart beat, elevated levels of cholesterol, heart attack ,alcoholic cardiomyopathy occurs in chronic drinkers, and risk of stroke. (Alcohol.org, 2020)
Alcohol & Heart Health. Retrieved from www.hopkinsmedicine.
Chronic alcoholism can cause inflammation in your gastrointestinal tract from all the toxins giving you many gastrointestinal issues. (Alcohol.org,2020) Alcoholism can also cause issues with your central nervous system causing brain cancer, risk for development of dementia and seizures.Some more mental health issues that go hand in hand with alcoholism are eating disorders, major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, trauma and stress related disorders. (Alcohol.org,2020)
Alcohol Use Disorder & Mental Health. Retrieved from www.aspenstrong.org
National Mental Health Awareness Month. Retrieved from www.sovhealth.com
IS THERE HOPE?
Yes, there is hope but it will be a long road ahead.It is not as easy as many think, quit drinking and your problems will disappear. Quitting drinking is only the first big step, quitting alone will not remove the struggles the person is dealing with. The recovery time depends on the length the person has abused alcohol. (Alcohol.cor,2020)Unfortunately, chronic abuse of alcohol can be associated with numerous comorbid conditions, including medical conditions, neurological conditions, psychological conditions, and social issues. (Alcohol.org,2020) It is important for the person to have support and reach out to a professional who can help them in all areas they are suffering in whether it be mental disorders or health issues. It is never to late.
Here are some good links:
References
Alcohol.org (2020) Excessive Use of Alcohol is Frequently Associated with Comorid Medical Issues in The Body. Retrieved from www.alcohol.org
Ramesh Shivani (2002) Alcoholism & Psychiatric Disorders. Retrieved from www.pubs.niaa.nih.gov
Nichole, I noticed that within your blog you did not mention anything about cirrhosis of the liver which is a huge comorbidity of alcoholism. These two things normally go hand in hand when someone has been an alcoholic for most of their life. Cirrhosis of the liver is when the healthy tissue is replaced with scar tissue leaving the liver unable to function properly (Cleveland Clinic, 2019). The scar tissue will block the flow of blood through the liver and eventually blocks the essential functions such as filtering out poisons and toxins in the body (Cleveland Clinic, 2019). The symptoms of cirrhosis depend on what stage the illness is in (Cleveland Clinic, 2019). Common symptoms at first might be none, but as the illness progresses so will the symptoms (Cleveland Clinic, 2019):
ReplyDelete• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue
• Weight loss or sudden weight gain
• Bruises
• Yellowing of the whites of the eyes or the skin
• Itchy skin
• Fluid retention of the ankles, legs, or abdomen
• Brown or orange colored urine
• Light colored stool
• Confusion, disorientation, or personality changes
• Blood in the stool
• Fever
When the fluid in the abdomen builds up, it may need to be removed by a doctor in a procedure called a paracentesis (Cleveland Clinic, 2019). The doctor will insert a large sized catheter needle into the abdomen to drain the fluid, which can take hours to do. This will have to be done repeatedly until the patient is either too sick or the patient receives a liver transplant. Those with an addiction problem will be less likely to receive a transplant.
Other complications as a result of drinking alcohol are variceal bleeding (Cleveland Clinic, 2019). Varices are enlarged veins in the esophagus and stomach (Cleveland Clinic, 2019). Variceal bleeding is caused by portal hypertension, or increased pressure in the portal vein that carries the blood from the digestive tract to the liver (Cleveland Clinic, 2019). The increased pressure is due to the liver being damaged and the scar tissue blocking blood flow to the liver (Cleveland Clinic, 2019). The varices then become extremely fragile and can bleed easily causing a hemorrhage to occur and the patient can bleed to death in just minutes (Cleveland Clinic, 2019).
References
Cleveland Clinic. (2019, January 1). Cirrhosis of the Liver . Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15572-cirrhosis-of-the-liver