Cardiac Responses to Alcohol: A Review of Mechanisms and Clinical Implications.

Fig. 1.. Alcohol dose-dependent changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) across cohort studies in meta-analysis. Reproduced with permission by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc [26].

Fig. 2.. Alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality in the United States portrayed as a J-shaped curve, suggesting potential benefits with low alcohol consumption. Reproduced with permission by Elsevier [9].

Fig. 3.. Pathogenic mechanisms of alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy. ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; DCM, dilated cardiomyopathy; RAS, renin–angiotensin system; ROS, reactive oxygen species. Reproduced with permission by Oxford University Press [42].

Fig. 4.. Clinical overview, pathogenesis, treatment, and prognosis of alcoholic cardiomyopathy. DCM, dilated cardiomyopathy; HF, heart failure; HFrEF, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction; HTx, heart transplant; LVEDD, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; SD, standard deviation. Black arrows mean that the favorable prognosis of alcohol-induced dilated cardiomyopathy may rely on abstinence from alcohol, increasing the chances of improved LVEF over time and heart transplant survival. Reproduced with permission by Oxford University Press [42].

Fig. 5.. Association of total alcohol intake with atrial fibrillation (AF). AF shows distinct risk trajectory. Reproduced with permission by Elsevier [88].

Fig. 6.. Change in AERPs during alcohol and placebo infusions blue squares denote changes in AERP with the alcohol infusion, and red squares denote changes with placebo. Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals. Alcohol significantly shortened AERP compared with placebo. Reproduced with permission by Elsevier [87]. AERP, atrial effective refractory periods.

Fig. 7.. Association of total alcohol intake with sudden cardiac death (SCD). The figure depicts a U-shaped association between alcohol consumption and SCD. Reproduced with permission by Elsevier [104].