The Effects of Alcoholism on Skeletal and Cardiac Muscle

Abstract

To determine the prevalence of alcoholic myopathy and cardiomyopathy, we studied a group of 50 asymptomatic alcoholic men (mean age, 38.5 years) entering an outpatient treatment program. Studies performed included an assessment of muscle strength by electronic myometer, muscle biopsy, echocardiography, and radio-nuclide cardiac scanning, with comparison to healthy control subjects of similar age. The patients' mean (±SEM) daily alcohol consumption was 243± 13 g over an average of 16 years. These patients had no clinical or laboratory signs of malnutrition or electrolyte imbalance.