These are similar to the varicose veins that some people develop in their legs. But esophageal varices are prone to rupture, and when they do, the alcoholic can bleed to death. The end-stage alcoholic suffers from a host of physical problems, including severe damage to vital organs such as the liver. Alcohol, in fact, is the cause of more than 50 percent of liver-disease related deaths in this country, and alcohol-related liver disease costs more than $3 billion annually. Despite efforts to hide their addiction, their drinking problem is quite obvious to others. Work performance usually suffers at this stage, and impairment in the workplace is common.
- Alcoholism is a colloquial term, and it really isn’t a politically correct way to refer to an alcohol addiction.
- Stopping is impossible at this point without professional help because of the severe and potentially life-threatening withdrawal symptoms that would occur if they quit cold turkey.
- When someone develops an alcohol use disorder, they will show signs or symptoms that are characteristic of this condition.
Platelet Disorders
- While certain conditions and medications can cause you to bruise more easily, you may still be able to prevent bruises.
- Bruising occurs more readily as a person ages, making age the most common cause of easy bruising.
- Over time, the liver of a person who drinks heavily can become damaged and cause alcoholic liver disease.
In some cases, supplementation with vitamins may be recommended. However, eligibility may depend on being abstinent from alcohol for a specific length of time. Most people will not experience symptoms in the early stages of ALD. Some may experience mild pain in the upper right side of the abdomen. Alcoholic liver disease often begins without any symptoms.
[Podcast] Episode 8: Harm Reduction in Alcohol Health with Expert Dr. Andrew Tatarsky
This is because your skin tends to become thinner as you age. Also, as you get older, you tend to lose some of the fatty layer in your skin that helps protect your blood vessels from injury. You should also seek medical attention if your bruises appear on parts of your body where injuries are unlikely to occur, like your torso, back, face or on the backs of your hands. Ditto if they start to appear after you’ve started a new medication. With platelet disorders, such as thrombocytopenia, there may be an underproduction or overproduction of platelets in the body, or platelets that don’t work normally. “In the case of too few platelets, the body won’t be able to control bleeding after experiencing physical trauma,” Dr. Johnston says.
Medical Professionals
Children are often more prone to bruising than the average adult. This is typically due to being active, playing sports, or moving quickly. Dr. Monique Tello, a primary care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, encounters patients with “easy bruising anxiety” quite frequently. If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, please see the National Library of Medicine’s list of signs you need emergency medical attention or call 911. “There are many genetic blood abnormalities that can cause easy bruising,” Dr. Kappel says. Below, a highlight reel of possible reasons behind your bruises to help you — with an assist from your doctor — get to the bottom of why you’re always black and blue.
- If you bruise easily and are worried that it may be a sign of alcoholism, talk to your doctor.
- Alcohol use disorder is a pattern of alcohol use that involves problems controlling your drinking, being preoccupied with alcohol or continuing to use alcohol even when it causes problems.
- If you have cirrhosis from alcohol liver damage, you’re also more likely to bleed and bruise easily.
- Alcohol’s effects on skin can be quite visible not long after drinking.
Vitamin deficiency
Synthetic hormone treatment can improve blood clotting in people with the condition. If a medication is the likely cause of easy bruising, your healthcare provider can reevaluate the benefits versus the risks of continuing to take it. Do not stop a medication or change a dosage unless under the advice of a healthcare https://ecosoberhouse.com/ provider. Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is a bleeding disorder that occurs when a protein called von Willebrand factor in the blood is lacking or not working properly. Even though most people with VWD are born with the condition, it often remains undiagnosed until adulthood, as symptoms tend to be mild.
Finding Detox and Treatment
Fluid buildup in end-stage liver disease is a particularly ominous sign. Fifty percent of patients with ascites typically die within two years if they don’t have a liver transplant. By the time they’ve reached the third and final stage of alcoholism, drinking has consumed their lives. Their alcohol withdrawal symptoms are so severe that they must drink continually to avoid them.
Alcoholic cirrhosis is a progression of ALD in which scarring in the liver makes it difficult for that organ to function properly. Symptoms include weight loss, fatigue, muscle cramps, easy bruising, and jaundice. Unhealthy alcohol use includes any alcohol do alcoholics bruise easily use that puts your health or safety at risk or causes other alcohol-related problems. It also includes binge drinking — a pattern of drinking where a male has five or more drinks within two hours or a female has at least four drinks within two hours.
- Listen to relatives, friends or co-workers when they ask you to examine your drinking habits or to seek help.
- Liver damage from cirrhosis is not reversible, and it is linked to high mortality rates.
- Plus, you’re more susceptible to an accidental fall or bump after you’ve been drinking, anyway.
- People with warning signs should see a doctor right away, as should those who are still bleeding and those who have lost more than a small amount of blood.
- Defects in blood vessels usually cause red or purple spots and patches on light skin and brown or dark patches on dark skin, rather than bleeding.
Some herbs and supplements can cause you to bleed more easily, either when used alone or in combination with other medications. It’s possible that this can cause you to bruise more easily as a result of platelet function and other changes. Easy bruising can indicate low iron levels but there are a number of other potential causes. Your healthcare provider can discuss the potential benefits of iron supplements with you.
