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It is characterized by a typical progression of drinking behavior that requires an average of twelve and one-half years of drinking to reach fully developed, overt symptoms and an average of eighteen years to reach the stage of deterioration. It is seen most frequently in those of Eskimo or American Indian descent. Among those of Caucasian descent, the Irish, French and Scandinavians exhibit a far higher incidence than do other European population groups. The disease is further characterized by physical damage in all systems of the body, the most serious of which is encountered in the cardiovascular system, the nervous system and the liver. In these three areas the damage may eventually prove fatal.

Effects of Alcoholism on the Cardiovascular System

Living the life of an alcoholic is hard work - the body suffers. There is complete unanimity of opinion that alcoholic drinking is very bad for the heart. Not only does the alcoholic suffer increased risk of heart disease, but he may also sustain direct damage to the heart from alcohol. Alcoholic drinking results in: · Increased lipid levels ("blood fats") which may result in arteriosclerosis ("hardening of the arteries") and increased risk of stroke and possible early death. · Possible development of alcoholic cardiomyopathy, resulting from injury to the energy-producing portion of the heart muscle, (the mitochondria) which may lead to death from heart failure.

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