Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry logoLink to Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
. 1993 May;56(5):458–462. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.56.5.458

The relation of alcohol consumption to cardiovascular risk factors and stroke. The west Birmingham stroke project.

R Shinton 1, G Sagar 1, G Beevers 1
PMCID: PMC1015000  PMID: 8505634

Abstract

The disputed relation between recent alcohol consumption and stroke was examined in a community case control study. One hundred and twenty five incident first time stroke patients and 198 controls, aged 35 to 74 years, were recruited over two years from a general practice population. The age and sex adjusted relative risks for stroke by recent weekly "drinks" of alcohol were; 0-1.0 (reference), 1 to 14-0.57, 15 to 29-0.63, and > 29-0.99. Among the controls it was noted that non-drinkers were more likely than light/moderate drinkers (1 to 29 drinks per week) to have the following characteristics; history of obesity (p < 0.001), not a recent walker (p < 0.05), and no vigorous exercise in early adulthood (p < 0.01). The apparent association of light and moderate alcohol consumption with decreased stroke risk disappeared when these variables were included in the multiple risk factor adjusted analysis; 0-1.0, 1 to 14-0.88, 15 to 29-1.11, and > 29-1.23. The pattern for proved cerebral infarction (n = 81) was similar. The results of this study do not support the idea that recent heavy alcohol consumption is an important cause of either overall stroke or cerebral infarction. The association of non-drinking with a history of overweight and inactivity may explain the apparent protective effect of lighter alcohol consumption on the risks of both stroke and coronary heart disease.

Full text

PDF
458

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Alcohol and mortality. Lancet. 1991 Oct 26;338(8774):1073–1074. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Alcohol and mortality. Lancet. 1991 Oct 26;338(8774):1073–1074. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bamford J., Sandercock P., Warlow C., Gray M. Why are patients with acute stroke admitted to hospital? Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1986 May 24;292(6532):1369–1372. doi: 10.1136/bmj.292.6532.1369. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Calandre L., Arnal C., Ortega J. F., Bermejo F., Felgeroso B., del Ser T., Vallejo A. Risk factors for spontaneous cerebral hematomas. Case-control study. Stroke. 1986 Nov-Dec;17(6):1126–1128. doi: 10.1161/01.str.17.6.1126. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Camargo C. A., Jr Moderate alcohol consumption and stroke. The epidemiologic evidence. Stroke. 1989 Dec;20(12):1611–1626. doi: 10.1161/01.str.20.12.1611. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Compston J. E., Horton L. W., Laker M. F., Ayers A. B., Woodhead J. S., Bull H. J., Gazet J. C., Pilkington T. R. Bone disease after jejuno-ileal bypass for obesity. Lancet. 1978 Jul 1;2(8079):1–4. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(78)91318-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Donahue R. P., Abbott R. D., Reed D. M., Yano K. Alcohol and hemorrhagic stroke. The Honolulu Heart Program. JAMA. 1986 May 2;255(17):2311–2314. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gill J. S., Shipley M. J., Hornby R. H., Gill S. K., Beevers D. G. A community case-control study of alcohol consumption in stroke. Int J Epidemiol. 1988 Sep;17(3):542–547. doi: 10.1093/ije/17.3.542. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gill J. S., Zezulka A. V., Shipley M. J., Gill S. K., Beevers D. G. Stroke and alcohol consumption. N Engl J Med. 1986 Oct 23;315(17):1041–1046. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198610233151701. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Gordon T., Kannel W. B. Drinking habits and cardiovascular disease: the Framingham Study. Am Heart J. 1983 Apr;105(4):667–673. doi: 10.1016/0002-8703(83)90492-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gorelick P. B., Rodin M. B., Langenberg P., Hier D. B., Costigan J., Gomez I., Spontak S. Is acute alcohol ingestion a risk factor for ischemic stroke? Results of a controlled study in middle-aged and elderly stroke patients at three urban medical centers. Stroke. 1987 Mar-Apr;18(2):359–364. doi: 10.1161/01.str.18.2.359. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Gorelick P. B., Rodin M. B., Langenberg P., Hier D. B., Costigan J. Weekly alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and the risk of ischemic stroke: results of a case-control study at three urban medical centers in Chicago, Illinois. Neurology. 1989 Mar;39(3):339–343. doi: 10.1212/wnl.39.3.339. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Henrich J. B., Horwitz R. I. Evidence against the association between alcohol use and ischemic stroke risk. Arch Intern Med. 1989 Jun;149(6):1413–1416. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Hillbom M., Kaste M. Alcohol intoxication: a risk factor for primary subarachnoid hemorrhage. Neurology. 1982 Jul;32(7):706–711. doi: 10.1212/wnl.32.7.706. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Jackson R., Scragg R., Beaglehole R. Alcohol consumption and risk of coronary heart disease. BMJ. 1991 Jul 27;303(6796):211–216. doi: 10.1136/bmj.303.6796.211. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Klatsky A. L., Armstrong M. A., Friedman G. D. Alcohol use and subsequent cerebrovascular disease hospitalizations. Stroke. 1989 Jun;20(6):741–746. doi: 10.1161/01.str.20.6.741. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Marmot M. G., Rose G., Shipley M. J., Thomas B. J. Alcohol and mortality: a U-shaped curve. Lancet. 1981 Mar 14;1(8220 Pt 1):580–583. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(81)92032-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Rimm E. B., Giovannucci E. L., Willett W. C., Colditz G. A., Ascherio A., Rosner B., Stampfer M. J. Prospective study of alcohol consumption and risk of coronary disease in men. Lancet. 1991 Aug 24;338(8765):464–468. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(91)90542-w. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Sacco R. L., Wolf P. A., Bharucha N. E., Meeks S. L., Kannel W. B., Charette L. J., McNamara P. M., Palmer E. P., D'Agostino R. Subarachnoid and intracerebral hemorrhage: natural history, prognosis, and precursive factors in the Framingham Study. Neurology. 1984 Jul;34(7):847–854. doi: 10.1212/wnl.34.7.847. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Shaper A. G., Wannamethee G., Walker M. Alcohol and mortality in British men: explaining the U-shaped curve. Lancet. 1988 Dec 3;2(8623):1267–1273. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(88)92890-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Stampfer M. J., Colditz G. A., Willett W. C., Speizer F. E., Hennekens C. H. A prospective study of moderate alcohol consumption and the risk of coronary disease and stroke in women. N Engl J Med. 1988 Aug 4;319(5):267–273. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198808043190503. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Syrjänen J., Valtonen V. V., Iivanainen M., Kaste M., Huttunen J. K. Preceding infection as an important risk factor for ischaemic brain infarction in young and middle aged patients. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1988 Apr 23;296(6630):1156–1160. doi: 10.1136/bmj.296.6630.1156. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Tanaka H., Ueda Y., Hayashi M., Date C., Baba T., Yamashita H., Shoji H., Tanaka Y., Owada K., Detels R. Risk factors for cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction in a Japanese rural community. Stroke. 1982 Jan-Feb;13(1):62–73. doi: 10.1161/01.str.13.1.62. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Taylor J. R., Combs-Orme T. Alcohol and strokes in young adults. Am J Psychiatry. 1985 Jan;142(1):116–118. doi: 10.1176/ajp.142.1.116. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES