What Are the Signs of Alcoholic Lung Disease?
The research is clear: Alcohol, though a common and legal drug, causes widespread damage to virtually every part of the body, and long-term heavy drinking can have grave consequences on the brain and body. While most people know alcohol can affect the heart and liver, what might not be as well known is the way this substance can affect our lungs. If you’re wondering about the levels of alcoholism and treatment, it can also be helpful to know what to watch for with the signs of alcoholic lung disease, including what it is, what causes it, and how it’s treated.
Table of contents
» How Does Long-Term Drinking Affect Lung Health?
» What Are the Early Symptoms of Alcoholic Lung Disease?
» Can Quitting Alcohol Reverse Lung Damage?
» How Is Alcoholic Lung Disease Diagnosed and Treated?
» Key Takeaways on Signs of Alcoholic Lung Disease
» Resources
How Does Long-Term Drinking Affect Lung Health?
Many things, including how drinking alone is a sign of alcoholism, which is a chronic disease marked by the constant need to keep drinking despite the consequences. So, what are the consequences of heavy drinking over a long period of time?
Let’s examine how this substance affects different parts of the body:
- Brain: Alcohol disrupts brain communication, which is what leads to mood swings, behavior changes, and even struggles with thinking and moving.
- Heart: Heart damage is possible from heavy drinking, including weakened heart muscles. Several serious conditions are possible, including high blood pressure, arrhythmia, fast heart rate, and heart attacks.
- Liver: The liver is tasked with metabolizing and processing alcohol, which is why it suffers greatly from continuous drinking. Liver inflammation, damage, and failure are common consequences of long-term drinking.
- Pancreas: This organ, which produces enzymes for digestion and blood sugar, can start to struggle from heavy drinking, leading to the dangerous condition known as pancreatitis.
But alcohol also affects the lungs in many ways. This is largely due to what alcohol does to the immune system, especially critical immune cells that are how the body fights off lung infections and viruses like pneumonia, tuberculosis, and RSV. Basically, alcohol cripples these vitally critical immune cells, making it far easier for the person to end up with a virus or respiratory infection that can become dangerous.
For years, researchers have known that alcohol misuse greatly increases the risk of developing pneumonia, a lung infection that can be deadly. In addition, chronic alcohol use causes a chemical imbalance in cells and tissues of the airway, as well as affects white blood cells.
However, newer research has shed light on even worse consequences, and some scientists believe alcohol abuse can increase the risk of developing acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS, by 300 to 400 percent.
That’s a big problem because the mortality rate of ARDS, a severe and acute lung injury, is as high as 40 to 50 percent—meaning tens of thousands of deaths each year in the United States can be linked to lung injuries caused by drinking. That figure is on par with how many people die from liver scarring or cirrhosis each year, meaning it’s just as dangerous as the better-known liver damage in terms of alcohol-related deaths.
Many people with this underlying lung damage due to alcohol use won’t even realize the extent of the problem, even though their lungs have become very vulnerable to problems that can turn deadly. Several factors can contribute to the development of ARDS, including infections caused by bacteria or viruses, as well as injuries, pancreatitis, or burns resulting from car accidents.
When this syndrome occurs, the person struggles to breathe as fluid builds up in the air sacs of the lungs, preventing them from exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide properly. Some people can fully recover from ARDS, though long-term lung damage is also possible, and as many as half of people who get ARDS die from it.
What Are the Early Symptoms of Alcoholic Lung Disease?
Many symptoms could be potential signs of alcoholic lung disease, including:
- Frequent infections, such as pneumonia or tuberculosis
- Chronic cough, which may consist of mucus or blood
- Shortness of breath, especially when physically active
- Wheezing
- Rapid breathing
- Excessive mucus
- Chest pain
- Chronic fatigue
- Fever
- Chills
- Rapid heartbeat
- Confusion
Many of these symptoms are also potential signs of other serious medical conditions, such as heart attacks, which is why it’s so important to seek medical help immediately and figure out what’s causing these problems.
Someone with so-called alcohol lung disease is much more likely to suffer from bacterial or viral lung infections, including tuberculosis, pneumonia, and RSV. They’re also at risk of ARDS, a severe and potentially life-threatening medical condition that can cause severe lung damage and death. That’s why someone with possible alcoholic lung damage must get help as soon as possible to stop making their lung problems worse and to try to allow their body to recover and heal.
Can Quitting Alcohol Reverse Lung Damage?
There are many warning signs of addiction to alcohol and other drugs, and if someone you love is showing these red flags, it’s time to get them help. Even if they’ve had a problem for a long time and caused damage to their bodies and brains, such as the signs of alcoholic lung disease, quitting alcohol can give the body a chance to start to recover and, in some cases, repair the damage.
There’s clear evidence that quitting drinking can help reverse at least some lung damage, such as reducing inflammation in the lungs and enabling the person to exchange oxygen more effectively with each breath. Additionally, quitting drinking can help the immune system provide a stronger defense against possible infections and viruses.
However, severe damage might not be totally reversible, and the outcome will often depend on how long the person was drinking, how much they drank, and other factors, such as whether they also smoked or had medical conditions that also affected the lungs.
What our customers are saying
How Is Alcoholic Lung Disease Diagnosed and Treated?
To diagnose this condition, doctors conduct thorough examinations and tests to look for signs of alcoholic lung disease, including chest X-rays or CT scans, pulmonary function tests, and analysis of blood oxygen saturation.
Treatment comes down to many components—most importantly, quitting alcohol once and for all to prevent further damage and give the lungs a chance to start to recover. Additionally, antibiotic treatment may be necessary to resolve bacterial pneumonia or other infections, and the person will likely also receive nutritional support, physical therapy, oxygen therapy, and other medications to manage these conditions. If someone has severe lung damage, they might be deemed as needing a lung transplant.
Key Takeaways on Signs of Alcoholic Lung Disease
- Alcohol significantly affects all parts of the drinker’s body.
- This drug can severely damage organs like the heart, brain, pancreas, and lungs.
- Signs of alcoholic lung disease include shortness of breath, chronic infections, and excessive coughing, wheezing, and even chest pain.
- Lung damage from drinking can be reversed in some cases, though some damage is permanent if it’s severe enough.
- Alcohol rehab and detox programs can help someone quit drinking and give their lungs a chance to recover if they have lung disease.
If you need help quitting drinking so your lungs don’t get damaged anymore, WhiteSands Treatment can help. Call us at 877-855-3470 today to learn how to get started.
Resources
- National Library of Medicine – Alcoholic Lung Disease
- National Library of Medicine – Alcohol’s Effects on Lung Health and Immunity
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism – Alcohol’s Effects on the Body
If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.
About the Author
Jackie has been involved in the substance abuse and addiction treatment sector for over five years and this is something that she is truly eager about. She has a passion for writing and continuously works to create informative pieces that not only educate and inform the public about the disease of addiction but also provide solutions for those who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse.
