These consequences can include relationship problems, difficulty fulfilling duties at work or home, or a worsening of health problems. If a person continues to drink despite health-related problems, bruises after drinking may be a consequence that arises from alcohol misuse. An alcohol use disorder is a legitimate medical condition that causes lasting changes in the brain. Once a person develops an alcohol use disorder, they will continue to drink, even in the face of serious consequences, such as health problems caused by alcohol. Brain changes from repeated alcohol misuse lead to compulsive drinking and make it difficult to stop without treatment. To determine the cause of easy bruising, your healthcare provider will conduct a physical examination and review your symptoms, medical history, and any medications you are taking.
Advanced symptoms
It also increases the risk of suicide, sexual assault, and homicide. Heavy drinking can cause risky sexual behavior and unintended pregnancy. When drinking becomes compulsive, as is the case with alcohol use disorder, a person may place themselves in danger when consuming alcohol, because drinking becomes more important than safety. Examples of drinking in dangerous situations include driving while under the influence or drinking before operating some form of heavy machinery.
Alcohol Slows Your Muscle Recovery
You may also feel sluggish, groggy, and easily irritable, mainly due to disrupted sleep or low blood sugar levels. Additionally, heavy drinkers usually get most of their calories from alcohol. The problem is that alcohol is a wellspring of empty calories—which bruises after drinking are calories with minimal nutritional value. Hence, consuming alcohol as your primary source of fuel will lead to poor nutrition and weight loss. If you’ve noticed consistent weight gain, it may be time to reflect on your drinking habits.
Initial Treatment for Early Alcoholic Liver Disease
Easy bruising can cause large bruises in multiple areas of the body, often at the same time. The most common causes are aging and as a side effect of medications such as blood thinners or chemotherapy. However, discolorations can also be caused by bleeding disorders or other rare medical conditions. Over time, drinking a lot of alcohol can cause many health problems. It increases the risk of many types of cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
When to see a doctor
In a civil lawsuit against Leonard filed in June 2023 in U.S. Easy bruising can indicate low iron levels, however, other deficiencies, medical conditions, medications, herbs, and supplements may be responsible for unexplained or low trauma bruising. A deficiency is rare but can occur in newborns, who are typically given a vitamin K injection at birth to prevent a deficiency.
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. The review mentions one study that found applying 1% vitamin K cream twice daily helped to resolve bruising. Another found that 1% vitamin K and retinol had a similar effect.
- While the early stages may have no symptoms, later stages can cause symptoms such as fatigue, swelling in the hands and legs, jaundice, loss of appetite, and weakness.
- These disorders are rare, but they can be life-threatening if you don’t treat them.
- But if the cells that regrow your nail (called the nail matrix) are damaged, it may grow in incorrectly or you may not regrow your nail at all.
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- The most important strategy against alcoholic neuropathy lies in preventing the symptoms from getting worse by decreasing alcohol consumption as soon as possible.
- 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.
- There are several steps you can take to help improve the health of your liver.
- Both of these things mean you may get more bruises, even from a minor bump.
- 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).
Bruising occurs more readily as a person ages, making age the most common cause of easy bruising. Aging skin becomes progressively thinner, making blood vessels more prone to injury. If you bruise easily, there may be an underlying medical condition at work. In other cases, the bruising can be a symptom of nutrient deficiencies or the use of medications such as blood thinners.
Bruises Exams and Tests
In this condition, the body makes too much of a hormone called cortisol. Cushing’s is most often caused by long-term use of corticosteroid medications, but it can also be caused by a tumor. The symptoms of hemophilia can be mild or severe, depending on how much clotting factor is present in the affected person’s blood. Depending on the severity and type of hemophilia, bleeding may occur spontaneously (without injury) or after trauma or surgery. Your body’s ability to form a proper clot can be affected if you don’t have enough platelets (low platelet count) or they aren’t functioning properly. When you first get a bruise, the newly trapped blood makes it look pink or red.
Addiction is not something to ignore. It is vital to seek out the help of a professional addiction treatment center.
- The liver, responsible for performing many functions in the body, processes what the body needs, discarding what it doesn’t.
- The liver can usually repair itself and generate new cells.
- It’s not likely, but it’s possible that your bruises are a sign of blood cancer, such as leukemia.
- If you’re worried about your drinking habits or bruising, talk to a doctor.