title: Effects of alcohol consumption on cardiovascular events in male patients with healed myocardial infarction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Western countries, many studies have shown that among healthy people moderate drinkers have a lower incidence of cardiovascular events than abstainers and heavy drinkers. However, it is not clear whether this is true in patients with a healed myocardial infarction (MI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the present study cardiovascular events were defined as cardiac events or strokes. Male patients only were included because the incidence of cardiovascular events is low in females. In patients younger than 65 years, the incidence of cardiovascular events was 34.6 persons per year (54 cases: 3.9%) of abstainers, 17.4 persons per year (20 cases: 1.9%) of moderate drinkers (p<0.01 vs abstainers) and 30.3 s persons per year (18 cases: 3.2%) of heavy drinkers. However, in those aged 65 years or older, the incidence was 47.8 persons per year (24 cases: 4.5%) of abstainers, 58.4 persons per year (14 cases: 5.6%) of moderate drinkers, and 314.8 persons per year (12 cases: 19.7%) of heavy drinkers. In this age group, cardiovascular events were significantly higher in heavy drinkers than in the other 2 groups (p<0.01), and the incidence was not lower in the moderate drinkers than in abstainers as shown in the younger group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients younger than 65 years with a healed MI, drinking limited less than 30 ml/day (moderate intake) reduces the incidence of cardiovascular events, but not in those aged 65 years or older.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kinki University School of Medicine, Osakasayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobutaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Masunaga
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyataka
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nishioka
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Kinji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors