25 September 2008

medical word of the day: alcoholic cardiomyopathy

You always hear about the dangers of smoking nowadays, but no one ever seems to really talk about the other legal drug out there, alcohol. Drinking a lot and over an extended period of time can cause a lot of damage to your body.

alcoholic cardiomyopathy: a disorder in which drinking too much alcohol over a long period of time weakens the heart muscle so that it cannot pump blood efficiently. Drinking alcohol in large quantities has a toxic effect on the heart. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a form of a condition in which the heart becomes enlarged and the heart muscle thins (dilated cardiomyopathy) due to alcohol abuse.

(from cardio meaning heart, myo meaning muscle, and pathy meaning disorder).

1 comment:

Thelma said...

I must say that the English major in me is a little disturbed by the increase of scientific jargon here. Do you not remember Biology 11? Don't make me start to question whether you're really 'Di' or not! I need some angst, or 'depths of despair' soon!