[The nature of changes in central hemodynamics and myocardial contractile capacity of the left ventricle during volumetric loading in patients with chronic alcoholism in relation to the duration of alcohol abuse].

Forty patients aged 33 to 66 years suffering from chronic alcoholism, stages II-III, were examined. All the patients were subjected to contrast ventriculography before and after exercise test to identify the latent forms of heart failure. According to the coronarography findings, 9 out of the 40 patients demonstrated the signs of atherosclerotic injury to the coronary arteries. The data of endomyocardial biopsy of the left ventricle have shown morphologic changes characteristic of alcohol-induced heart injury, namely atrophy of cardiomyocytes, fat deposition in the interstitium, lysis of myofibrils, appearance of large vacuoles in cardiomyocytes, and mitochondriosis.