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. 2012 Nov 6;184(16):E857–E866. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.120412

Table 1:

Baseline characteristics of 30 433 patients who had existing cardiovascular disease or diabetes with end-organ damage, by level of alcohol consumption*

Characteristic Level of alcohol consumption; no. (%) of patients
All n = 30 433 Low n = 18 775 Moderate n = 11 139 High n = 519
Age, yr, mean ± SD 66.4 ± 7.2 66.6 ± 7.2 66.1 ± 7.1 65.2 ± 6.7
Sex, female 9 064 (29.8) 7 464 (39.8) 1 546 (13.9) 54 (10.4)
Region
 Americas 9 288 (30.5) 6 051 (32.2) 3 156 (28.3) 81 (15.6)
 Europe 14 980 (49.2) 8 400 (44.7) 6 275 (56.3) 305 (58.8)
 Australia/Asia 6 165 (20.3) 4 324 (23.0) 1 708 (15.3) 133 (25.6)
Waist:hip ratio, mean ± SD 0.94 ± 0.08 0.93 ± 0.09 0.95 ± 0.08 0.96 ± 0.07
Medical history
 Coronary artery disease 23 422 (77.0) 14 001 (74.6) 9 023 (81.0) 398 (76.7)
 Stroke/TIA 6 261 (20.6) 4 128 (22.0) 2 019 (18.1) 114 (22.0)
 Peripheral artery disease 5 439 (17.9) 3 176 (16.9) 2 118 (19.0) 145 (27.9)
 Hypertension 21 315 (70.0) 13 938 (74.2) 7 076 (63.5) 301 (58.0)
 Diabetes 11 345 (37.3) 8 005 (42.6) 3 218 (28.9) 122 (23.5)
 Chronic renal disease 8 178 (26.9) 5 475 (29.2) 2 587 (23.2) 116 (22.4)
 Sleep apnea 2 033 (6.7) 1 313 (7.0) 697 (6.3) 23 (4.4)
Use of statin 18 503 (60.8) 10 619 (56.6) 7 519 (67.5) 365 (70.3)
Smoking status
 Never smoked 11 418 (37.5) 8 624 (45.9) 2 747 (24.7) 47 (9.1)
 Current/former smoker 18 983 (62.4) 10 132 (54.0) 8 381 (75.2) 470 (90.6)
Education
 None 1 115 (3.7) 977 (5.2) 131 (1.2) 7 (1.3)
 1–8 yr 9 120 (30.0) 6 302 (33.6) 2 677 (24.0) 141 (27.2)
 9–12 yr 8 987 (29.5) 5 422 (28.9) 3 405 (30.6) 160 (30.8)
 University/trade school 11 204 (36.8) 6 072 (32.3) 4 921 (44.2) 211 (40.7)
Physical activity
 Sedentary 10 486 (34.5) 7 101 (37.8) 3 200 (28.7) 185 (35.6)
 Moderate 6 971 (22.9) 3 903 (20.8) 2 951 (26.5) 117 (22.5)
 High 12 966 (42.6) 7 766 (41.4) 4 983 (44.7) 217 (41.8)
Stress§
 Yes 19 685 (64.7) 12 156 (64.7) 7 210 (64.7) 319 (61.5)
 No 10 734 (35.3) 6 612 (35.2) 3 923 (35.2) 199 (38.3)

Note: SD = standard deviation, TIA = transient ischemic attack.

*

Low = < 1 drink/wk; moderate = 1–14 drinks/wk (about 2 drinks/d) for women and 1–21 drinks/wk (about 3 drinks/d) for men; high = > 14 drinks/wk (> 2 drinks/d) for women and > 21 drinks/wk (> 3 drinks/d) for men.

Unless stated otherwise.

Sedentary = physical activity once per week or less often, moderate = 2–4 times per week, high = ≥ 5 times per week.

§

Having had some or several periods of stress or permanent stress at work/home, or moderate or high worry about money.