Binge drinking and hypertension on cardiovascular disease mortality in Korean men and women: a Kangwha cohort study.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine combined effects of hypertension and binge drinking on the risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease in Koreans.


METHODS
This study followed a cohort of 6100 residents in Kangwha County, aged ≥55 years as of March 1985, for cardiovascular mortality for 20.8 years up to December 31, 2005. We calculated hazard ratios (HRs) for cardiovascular mortality by blood pressure and binge drinking habits using the Cox proportional hazard model. Binge drinkers and heavy binge drinkers were defined as having ≥6 drinks on 1 occasion and ≥12 drinks on 1 occasion.


RESULTS
After adjusting for total alcohol consumption, male heavy binge drinkers with Grade 3 hypertension had a 12-fold increased risk of cardiovascular mortality (HR, 12.7; 95% CI, 3.47 to 46.5), whereas male binge drinkers with Grade 3 hypertension had a 4-fold increased risk of cardiovascular mortality (HR, 4.41; 95% CI, 1.38 to 14.1) when compared with nondrinkers with normal blood pressure. However, in considering separate effects of heavy binge drinking and hypertension on the risk of cardiovascular mortality, HRs were rather low (HR of heavy binge drinkers, 1.88, 1.10 to 3.20; HR of hypertensives, 2.00, 1.70 to 2.35) compared with nondrinkers with normal blood pressure.


CONCLUSIONS
Binge drinkers and heavy binge drinkers with Grade 3 hypertension showed a marked increase in cardiovascular mortality risk. Even after adjusting for total alcohol consumption, the former revealed 4.41 and the latter indicated 12.7 of HR for the risk of cardiovascular mortality.
Sull
Jae Woong
JW
the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea. ohrr@yuhs.ac.
Yi
Sang Wook
SW
Nam
Chung Mo
CM
Choi
Kwisook
K
Ohrr
Heechoul
H
D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality; D044466:Asian People; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004327:Drinking Behavior; D000431:Ethanol / Q000506:poisoning*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors
D000431:Ethanol