title: The association between alcohol consumption and prevalent cardiovascular diseases among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected men.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether alcohol consumption is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) among HIV-infected veterans.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using established thresholds for alcohol consumption, we analyzed cross-sectional data from 4743 men (51% HIV infected) from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study, a prospective cohort of HIV-infected veterans and demographically similar HIV-uninfected veterans. Using logistic regression, we estimated the odds ratio (OR) for the association between alcohol consumption and prevalent CVD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected men, respectively, hazardous drinking (33.2% vs. 30.9%,), alcohol abuse and dependence (20.9% vs. 26.2%), and CVD (14.6% vs. 19.8%) were common. Among HIV-infected men, hazardous drinking [OR = 1.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.05 to 1.94] and alcohol abuse and dependence (OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.07 to 2.23) were associated with a higher prevalence of CVD compared with infrequent and moderate drinking. Among HIV-uninfected men, past drinkers had a higher prevalence of CVD (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.67). For HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected men, traditional risk factors and kidney disease were associated with CVD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among HIV-infected men, hazardous drinking and alcohol abuse and dependence were associated with a higher prevalence of CVD compared with infrequent and moderate drinking even after adjusting for traditional CVD risk factors, antiretroviral therapy, and CD4 count.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. freibergms@upmc.edu
authors.forename: Matthew S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Freiberg
authors.forename: Kathleen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: McGinnis
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kraemer
authors.forename: Jeffrey H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Samet
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Conigliaro
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Curtis Ellison
authors.forename: Kendall
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.forename: Lewis H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Kuller
authors.forename: Amy C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Justice
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors