Incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease in Danish men and women with a prolonged heavy alcohol intake.
BACKGROUND
Several epidemiological studies have found U- or J-shaped relationships between alcohol intake and cardiovascular conditions. The influence of heavy drinking is, however, sparsely studied. The objective of the present study was to examine whether alcohol addicts have higher incidence rates of cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases than the population in general.


METHODS
The cohort comprised 19,185 subjects (15,368 men and 3,817 women) who attended outpatient clinics for alcohol abusers within the Copenhagen Hospital Corporation (1954 to 1992). Incidence rates were standardized (SIR) according to sex, age and calendar time to compare subjects' cardio- and cerebrovascular incidence with that of the general population of Copenhagen.


RESULTS
During the period 1977 to 2001 a total of 9,397 events of cardio- and cerebrovascular disease were observed. In both men and women, statistically significant higher incidence rates than would be expected in a standard population were observed for cardiovascular diseases (e.g., ischemic heart diseases, men: SIR = 1.76; 95% CI 1.69-1.83; women: SIR = 2.44; 95% CI 2.19-2.73) and cerebrovascular diseases (e.g., hemorrhagic stroke, men: SIR = 2.71; 95% CI 2.45-2.99; women: SIR = 2.77; 95% CI 2.18-3.48).


CONCLUSIONS
The study indicates increased risks of cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases in subjects with an excessive alcohol intake.
Hvidtfeldt
Ulla Arthur
UA
Centre for Alcohol Research, National Institute of Public Health, Copenhagen, Denmark. ula@niph.dk
Frederiksen
Marie Engholm
ME
Thygesen
Lau Caspar
LC
Kamper-Jørgensen
Mads
M
Becker
Ulrik
U
Grønbaek
Morten
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D020751:Alcohol-Induced Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult