Why Drinking Alcohol Can Cause Bruising

People with alcoholism can develop erosive gastritis, where the stomach lining wears away. Many people with ALD are malnourished (lacking proper nutrition) due to a variety of factors, such as lack of eating, vomiting, and malabsorption (difficulty absorbing nutrients from food). In general, the more severe the ALD, the more malnourished someone becomes. On dark skin, petechiae may not always show up, which means a doctor could miss them. They may be visible in areas with less melanin, such as the forearms.

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• They may ask you to provide a list of all your medications to identify possible culprits.
• However, a serious bruise is more likely to be large, painful, swollen, or lumpy.
• If you experience easy bruising with alcohol consumption and there is no apparent cause of the bruising, it’s important to seek medical attention, because you may be experiencing liver disease.
• Any type of bone in your body can be bruised, but if so, you’ll usually also have damage in nearby structures of your skeleton, such as your ligaments (tissue that connects your bones and joints).
• Continuing to drink, even when it causes health problems, is a sign of an alcohol use disorder.
• Do not stop a medication or change its dosage except under the advice of a healthcare provider.
• Instead, you may feel a bump under your skin and it may be tender.

You may get it if you hit your thumb with a hammer or stub your toe, but you may also get it from wearing tight shoes or training for a marathon. At the time of injury, your nail may feel sore or tender, but the pressure that builds up under your nail as the blood pools can cause severe pain. Your nail may lift off your finger or toe, and the color of your nail may change. You should go see your doctor if you’re bleeding and it won’t stop, the pain is too intense, or you see a lot of damage to the base of your nail. If you, your mom, and your sister all turn black and blue from the tiniest bump, it may be a family thing. Some people just have more fragile blood vessels, and that makes them more likely to bruise, especially on their upper arms, thighs, or butt.

Everything to Know About Alcoholic Liver Disease

Eventually the body reabsorbs the blood, and the mark disappears. Jaundice can be a physical sign of liver problems, where the skin takes on a yellowish-brown tone due to high levels of bilirubin. While many things could lead to you developing jaundice, a common cause is high levels of alcohol consumption. This is called ‘alcohol flush reaction and it happens when your body is unable to fully digest all the alcohol you’ve consumed. This means that the toxins in alcohol, including acetaldehyde, can build up in your body.

What is the most common cause of easy bruising?

Large and painful bruises, however, can take several weeks to heal. Liver damage from cirrhosis is not reversible, and it is linked do alcoholics bruise easily to high mortality rates. Blood thinners such as warfarin, heparin, and aspirin can cause you to bleed and bruise more.

“When your own immune system attacks blood cells or the actual blood vessels themselves, it increases the risk of bruising,” Dr. Kappel says. The inflammatory disease process (rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and the like) can lead to a low platelet count and affect how well your blood clots following an injury. “Any medications that have a blood-thinning https://ecosoberhouse.com/ effect or reduce your blood’s ability to create clots will trigger bigger bruises after experiencing impact on the body,” Dr. Johnston says. 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.

Kidney Disease

Find out what role aging plays and when to consult a health care provider. Alcohol hepatitis can lead to liver failure and can also gradually damage the liver and lead to cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is when normal liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue, which causes the liver to lose its ability to function well. They may lose feelings of hunger or no longer have a desire for food, as their focus shifts to alcohol. Alternatively, they may crave high-fat foods as alcohol produces the hunger-increasing hormone, ghrelin. In addition, some alcoholic beverages, such as wine and beer, are high in calories, so regular consumption of these drinks can lead to weight gain.

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A deficiency is rare, but it can occur in newborns, who are typically given a vitamin K injection at birth to prevent the deficiency. Other conditions in which a deficiency is seen include cystic fibrosis, ulcerative colitis, and after weight loss surgery (bariatric surgery). However, bruising that occurs easily—without injury or trauma—can be a sign of an underlying medical condition that is keeping your blood from clotting properly. It can also occur as a side effect of some medications, such as blood thinners. Alcoholic liver disease is caused by excessive consumption of alcohol.

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Their alcohol withdrawal symptoms are so severe that they must drink continually to avoid them. In the beginning stages of alcoholism, drinking escalates and the individual develops an increased tolerance for alcohol. Those biological changes pave the way for the second stage, which is marked by a physical dependence on the drug. Drinking at this point isn’t about feeling good — it’s about not feeling bad and avoiding the uncomfortable sensations that accompany acute withdrawal.

• There are several causes of bruises after drinking; some of these causes are not particularly serious, whereas others could point to a health problem.
• If you, your mom, and your sister all turn black and blue from the tiniest bump, it may be a family thing.
• Though rare, liver cancer can develop from the damage that occurs with cirrhosis.
• There are more than 100 types of liver disease, according to the American Liver Foundation.

healing a bruise