Through several intermediate stages, these precursors differentiate further and develop into the mature cells circulating in the blood or residing in the tissues. Dilated blood vessels can make bleeding more likely when you drink. If you have cirrhosis from alcohol liver damage, you’re also more likely to bleed and bruise easily. Alcohol and unexplained bruising could point to liver damage from drinking. Easy bruising and bleeding are signs of cirrhosis, which is a serious liver disorder.

Liver Damage And Bruising

Hemolysis can be an underlying cause of anemia, and several types of hemolytic anemia may be caused by chronic heavy alcohol consumption. Diagnosing hemolysis in alcoholic patients is not easy, because these patients frequently exhibit confounding conditions, such as alcohol withdrawal, abnormal folic acid levels, bleeding, or an enlarged spleen. AC is an enzyme that plays a role in the transmission of signals from a cell’s exterior to its interior; the enzyme’s levels in the body are genetically determined. Several studies have found that AC levels in the platelets as well as in some white blood cells are frequently reduced in alcoholics compared with nonalcoholics, even after long periods of abstinence. Because a single gene appears to determine the level of platelet AC activity, it is likely that low platelet AC activity is an inherited trait in many alcoholics and therefore could be used as a trait marker.

Alcoholism and Alcoholic Neuropathy

Taking both together could compound the anticoagulant effect and increase your risk of bleeding. But having more than three alcoholic drinks daily could increase your risk for a type of stroke caused by bleeding in the brain (hemorrhagic strokes). Drinking a glass or two of wine each day might reduce your risk for heart disease and strokes caused by blockages in blood vessels (ischemic strokes) in much the same way that taking a daily aspirin can prevent strokes. The observed neutropenia may be related to impaired neutrophil development in the bone marrow. Thus, bone marrow analysis of alcoholic patients during the neutropenic stage demonstrated that virtually none of the neutrophil precursors had matured beyond an early developmental stage. Moreover, the neutrophil stores that are maintained in the bone marrow to allow a quick response to a bacterial infection were depleted more rapidly in active alcoholics than in healthy control subjects.

• Even though it is a biased measure, BMI is still widely used in the medical community because it’s an inexpensive and quick way to analyze a person’s potential health status and outcomes.
• Chronic alcohol misuse can also lead to liver disease, which often causes bruising.
• In other words, bruising alone isn’t enough to diagnose alcoholism, but it can be a sign.
• Numerous clinical observations support the notion that alcohol adversely affects the production and function of virtually all types of blood cells.
• Well, alcohol intake may lead to night sweats by speeding up your heart rate and widening your blood vessels, triggering the release of perspiration.
• Vasodilation is the widening of the blood vessels caused by the relaxation of the muscles in these blood vessels.

What can you do to improve your liver health?

The pain can feel like burning, throbbing, or sharp pins and needles. As the condition progresses, the pain may vary in intensity, sometimes diminishing for months before worsening again. If you feel that you sometimes drink too much alcohol, or your drinking is causing problems, or if your family is concerned about your drinking, talk with your health care provider.

• Alcohol-induced structural abnormalities in red blood cell (RBC) structure.
• Many people with alcoholic liver disease are deficient in B vitamins, zinc and vitamin D and it may become necessary to take supplements.
• Symptoms include burning pain in the body, hyperalgesia (increased sensitivity to pain), and allodynia (a condition in which normal stimulus, like a soft touch, produces pain).

What Are the Effects of Drinking Alcohol on the Blood?

And since the liver controls blood clotting, alcohol-related liver disease can cause increased bruising, as well. In our blood there are tiny particles called clotting factors and platelets; their job is to form clots only when the vessel wall is damaged (when you are wounded). It was very surprising for me to know that we damage our vessels every time you scratch your hand, kick the ball or keep your arm on the armrest for a long time! Micro-bleeds form at the location of these unnoticeable injuries and clotting factors along with the platelets take care of these micro-bleeds.

• Minor accidents — running into furniture, falling, dropping something on your leg, hand or foot — are the most common cause of bruising.
• Alcohol use disorder includes a level of drinking that’s sometimes called alcoholism.
• Growing up in Louisiana with addiction running rampant on both sides of my family.

The inability to stop drinking while being aware of the consequences indicates that you may be developing alcohol dependence. If bruises persist for a few weeks, it’s best to consult a physician, as this may indicate irreversible damage to the liver. Aside from going into alcohol treatment, there’s nothing specific you need to do to speed up the healing process, assuming that you’re not suffering from other diseases that affect coagulation. These conditions combined can lead to coagulopathy (bruising and bleeding even with the slightest trauma). Alcohol has blood thinning properties, which can increase the risk can alcohol cause bruising of bruising. Alcohol addiction can cause various health issues, some of which include bruising and subcutaneous bleeding.