Alcohol Use in Heart Failure: Patterns and Associations Among Acutely Decompensated Patients in a Teaching Hospital in Ghana

Background: Alcohol has been associated with cardiovascular disease, and excessive amounts are implicated in worsening heart failure outcomes. The knowledge, patterns, and associations of alcohol use among heart failure patients have not been established in Ghana. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Ho Teaching Hospital among adult patients with acutely decompensated heart failure in the medical and emergency wards. All patients who presented with heart failure to the facility from September 2022 to August 2023 were recruited. Information needed was obtained using a structured questionnaire. The systolic and diastolic functions were determined using 2D echocardiography. Results: Among the 315 patients, 33.7% used varying types and quantities of alcohol, with the local gin being the most patronized (62.2%). Additionally, 65.1% of all heart failure patients who used alcohol also used herbal medicines (mostly orally and alcohol-based), and this was statistically significantly different from the patients who did not use alcohol (p < 0.05). There was a higher proportion of more severe forms of diastolic dysfunction among patients who used alcohol compared to those who did not (χ² = 125.039, p = 0.011), and this was also significantly demonstrated in concomitant alcohol and herbal medication use (χ² = 243.039, p = 0.001). Conclusion: This study revealed that a third of patients with acute heart failure indulge in alcohol use above acceptable limits, with associated moderate to severe diastolic dysfunction in almost all of them. Herbal medication used in alcohol drinking patients was associated with HFpEF.