Since research shows that high consumption of alcohol over a long period can harm the body, including the lungs, people should avoid heavy drinking. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — otherwise known as COPD — is a chronic lung disease. When you have COPD, you might have a cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, or have trouble breathing. Alcohol can also cause your lungs to become unable to clear mucus from the airways. The cilia in your lungs can be damaged by heavy alcohol abuse, potentially causing more mucus to stay in your lungs. Those with COPD who drink alcohol have an increased risk of worsening their lung health.
Treating COPD
These problems result from reduced functional lung capacity along with lung inflammation and damage. “Alcohol increases the risk for respiratory infection by interfering with respiratory clearance mechanisms,” Schachter substance use group activities says. That’s why if you’re a smoker, doctors recommend you stop smoking right away.
What are the symptoms of alcohol-related lung disease?
“One or two drinks a day has not been shown to impact COPD,” says Neil Schachter, MD, a COPD specialist at Mount Sinai Health System. People with a history of alcohol misuse may be more vulnerable to ARDS and may have more severe symptoms. This is known as ARLD, which may present as several lung problems, such as pneumonia or TB. If you have COPD or another pulmonary concern, examining your alcohol habits is a worthy part of your overall management strategy.
Effects of Drinking Alcohol With COPD
Drinking too much alcohol can negatively affect people with COPD. It’s not like someone is telling people to drink or not drink, says MeiLan K. Han, MD, professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System. Those are the kind of studies experts use to approve medications and make treatment recommendations. Alcohol has an even stronger effect on heart disease than it does on lung disease. Heart disease impairs breathing and can compound the respiratory problems of lung diseases like COPD.
First, your doctor will review any signs or symptoms you’re experiencing. If you’ve quit drinking or smoking, let your doctor know how long ago you quit and how much you used to drink or smoke in the past. This suggests that many people with COPD regularly drank before being diagnosed with COPD. With this in mind, it’s hard to determine whether their alcohol consumption contributed to their diagnosis. Of those 15 million, 39 percent still smoke, despite the obvious relationship between smoking and lung diseases. Those who drink heavily may develop a weakened immune system since alcohol can cause your body to lose the nutrients it needs.
Similarly, people who are chronic tobacco users are four times more likely to be dependent on alcohol than the average population. Some people with COPD also experience excessive mucus production, which can make breathing difficult. Always talk to your doctor if you have questions about COPD and alcohol.
When you meet with a doctor, you’ll want to be open and honest regarding your medical history, revealing how many drinks you have per day or if you smoke. There are several risk factors that make a person more likely to develop COPD, including a genetic condition known as alpha-1 deficiency-related emphysema. Cigarette smoking is one of the most significant risk factors for developing COPD as well. Heavy drinking can reduce your levels of glutathione, which is an antioxidant that helps protect your lungs. Drinking too many alcoholic beverages can also cause COPD flare-ups. COPD patients may want to avoid alcohol that can worsen the disease.
That makes understanding the relationship between drinking, smoking, and COPD hard to pin down. If you have COPD and an alcohol addiction, it’s important to get help. Heavy smokers are much more likely to be alcohol dependent, Schachter says. Ark Behavioral Health offers 100% confidential substance abuse assessment and treatment placement tailored to your individual needs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Those who develop COPD may experience a wide range of symptoms depending on the severity.
“Allergic and asthmatic reactions to alcoholic drinks.” Addiction Biology, June 9, 2006. One study found that having COPD increases the risk of dying in the hospital among those dependent upon alcohol. It is possible that alcohol-related complications can be fatal for some people with COPD. There are two other problems with the studies that suggest alcohol use could prevent COPD.
Those with COPD can develop even more complications such as heart disease. ARLD describes lung problems that result from excessive alcohol consumption. The symptoms of ARLD depend on the type of lung disease a person develops. “Chronic alcohol use can cause immune system changes that might be harmful,” Han says. Some studies suggest that moderate alcohol use may be linked to a lower risk of COPD.
However, one 2015 study found that light to moderate drinking (between 1 and 60 drinks a month) did not seem to make COPD worse or cause more health problems related to COPD. But the researchers weren’t able to say what the effect of heavy drinking (more than 60 drinks per month) was on COPD, since there weren’t enough heavy drinkers in the study. Since COPD is most often diagnosed after age 45, heavy alcohol use also could potentially be a contributing factor for smokers who develop the disease. In order to best avoid developing COPD, it’s important to avoid heavy alcohol consumption and to quit smoking if you’re currently a smoker. ARLD can refer to any lung problems that chronic alcohol consumption has influenced, including pneumonia, tuberculosis (TB), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals.
Your mucus-clearing ability can be impaired by excessive alcohol use as well, as the cilia in your lungs that help clear mucus and infectious organisms can liquid marijuana mix drink be harmed. In addition, people with COPD also have to consider how any medications they are taking to treat their condition may interact with alcohol. A person with a health issue like COPD or a person with a risk of the disease may wish to take into account the complications that alcohol can cause. One-third of adults with chronic health problems, including COPD, reported that they drink regularly.
Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study of Men
- While chronic bronchitis causes a long-term cough that includes mucus, emphysema causes damage to the lungs.
- If you’re living with COPD, you may have already made some lifestyle changes to stay healthy and make it less likely that your condition will get worse, which is great.
- Alcohol use disorder, or alcohol addiction, is treated with medication, therapy, and peer support.
- Of those 15 million, 39 percent still smoke, despite the obvious relationship between smoking and lung diseases.
Drinking high quantities of alcohol can harm healthy lung functioning and thereby worsen COPD. Over time, drinking too much alcohol can weaken the lungs’ ability to clear themselves of mucus. This issue can lead to breathing problems and symptom exacerbation in people with COPD. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an inflammatory lung condition that worsens as it progresses. It refers to a group of respiratory illnesses that cause breathing problems and airflow blockages, including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, or asthma. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) refers to a group of lung diseases that affect your breathing.
The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in symptoms of being roofied place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers. Researchers have yet to establish a direct link between COPD and alcohol. Regular, heavy drinking can damage the immune system and the lungs. The authors of another study identified a link between regular consumption of alcohol and lung problems in otherwise healthy individuals. Since COPD is a lung condition, any negative impact of alcohol on the lungs may make a person more predisposed to develop a COPD disease.
