Alcohol and COPD

[gerald]

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Alcohol and COPD

By Chris Iliades, MD Reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD

The effect of alcohol on the lungs is a new area of interest for COPD management. Find out what's known so far about COPD, alcohol, and lung health.

How is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affected by alcohol? The answer is just beginning to take shape, and it’s a valid concern in COPD management. One problem is that there simply hasn't been much research on alcohol and the lungs. Also, most COPD is caused by smoking, but if someone smokes and drinks, it’s hard to determine whether it’s the smoking or the drinking — or both — that makes COPD symptoms worse. But experts agree that answers are needed.

"This is a new area of interest, but so far the studies we have aren’t consistent," says Bohdan Pichurko, MD, a pulmonary specialist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Past studies have shown that the combination of smoking and heavy drinking makes COPD worse, but it remains unclear whether drinking alcohol is an independent risk factor for COPD.

A study published in the journal Chest, which followed 30,503 people with COPD for more than three years, found that people who reported binge drinking — defined as six or more drinks on an occasion — had an increased change of their COPD symptoms getting worse. But when the researchers adjusted for tobacco use, they couldn’t find an increase in COPD symptoms for drinking alone.

Another study, published in COPD: Journal of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, followed 538 people with an inherited type of COPD, known as alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency COPD, for two years. The study found that those who admitted to problem drinking had a significantly higher risk of ending up in the emergency room with COPD exacerbations. However, the researchers didn’t separate alcohol from smoking.

What We Know About COPD, Lungs, and Alcohol

The results of medical studies have been conflicting, says Marlin Stahl, MD, a pulmonologist at the Nebraska Medical Center System in Omaha. “Drinking a modest amount of alcohol, such as a glass of wine, may help with heart disease, but there are no actual studies on small amounts of alcohol directly benefiting COPD." And while some studies don’t show an association between alcohol and COPD exacerbation, others have shown that the lungs can be negatively affected by drinking higher levels of alcohol.

Here are other facts to consider:

Heavy use of alcohol, even without smoking, has been shown to increase death from COPD.
Heavy use of alcohol, along with smoking, is more dangerous for COPD than alcohol or smoking alone. "Drinking alcohol suppresses an enzyme called glutathione that helps protect your lungs from tobacco smoke," Dr. Pichurko says.
Heavy alcohol use disrupts the surface of the lungs, which can lead to worsening of COPD symptoms. "This surface is called the mucociliary transport system," Pichurko explains. "It’s like a shag rug that picks up mucous and moves it out of the lungs. It works 24/7 to keep your lungs healthy, but if you drink heavily, it can’t work as effectively."

COPD Management and Drinking

If you have COPD, the most important step you can take is to stop smoking. If drinking alcohol makes it harder for you to quit, you need to quit both. But if you're not smoking, there may actually be some benefit to drinking in moderation — which means no more than two drinks a day for a man or one drink a day for a woman. "It’s difficult to find studies that show any health benefits of having more than two drinks per day," Dr. Stahl says.

Pichurko advises people with COPD to set limits. "Drinking alcohol isn’t forbidden, but if you drink, moderation is a must," he says. And until more is known, that’s the best advice for COPD management and drinking.

www.everydayhealth.com/hs/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease/copd-and-alcohol/#sthash.kQQl4zyD.dpuf

[izzie]

Good article Gerald........my concern with alcohol is that it robs the blood of much needed oxygen, so moderation is definitely key.

[gerald]

I have found that one extra beer plugs my lungs up for a couple of days. I guess it just supresses the breathing enough to allow the mucus to build up! Takes a couple of days to get over it.