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Alcohol consumption and the risk of stroke among hypertensive and overweight men

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Abstract

High blood pressure and overweight are risk factors for stroke. The aim of the present study was to examine the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of stroke according to the level of blood pressure and body weight. This study is a population-based sample of men with an average follow-up of 14.9 years from eastern Finland. A total of 2,599 men with no history of stroke at baseline participated. During the follow-up period, 224 strokes occurred, of which 181 were ischemic strokes. After adjustment for age, year of examination, socioeconomic status, serum LDL cholesterol, body mass index, smoking and energy expenditure of physical activity (kcal/day), there was a significant trend of an increased risk for any and ischemic stroke among hypertensive men. Hypertensive (blood pressure of over 140/90 mm Hg) men, who did not consume alcohol had a 1.72-fold (95 % CI 1.12–2.66; p = 0.014) relative risk (RR) for any stroke and a 1.90-fold (95 % CI 1.15–3.13; p = 0.012) RR for ischemic stroke. Among hypertensive men who consumed alcohol RR was 1.86-fold (95 % CI 1.20–2.89; p = 0.005) for any stroke and 2.02-fold (95 % CI 1.21–3.35; p = 0.007) for ischemic stroke. Men who did not consume alcohol with elevated BMI (≥26.4 kg/m2) had a 1.63-fold RR (95 % CI 1.11–2.40; p = 0.013) for any stroke and a 1.33-fold RR (95 % CI 0.87–2.04; p = 0.199) for ischemic stroke after adjusting for risk factors. Overweight men (≥26.4 kg/m2) who consumed alcohol had a 1.73-fold RR (95 % CI 1.18–2.54; p = 0.005) for any stroke and a 1.71-fold RR (95 % CI 1.14–2.57; p = 0.010) for ischemic stroke after being adjusted for risk factors. In conclusion, this population-based prospective study shows that hypertensive and overweight men who consumed alcohol had an increased risk for stroke.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the grants from Juho Vainio Foundation, Helsinki, Finland; Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, Helsinki, Finland; Kuopio University Foundation, Kuopio, Finland and The Finnish Cultural Foundation, Helsinki, Finland.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Ethical standard

All human studies must state they have been approved by the appropriate ethics committee and have therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland

    Sanna H. Rantakömi, Jari A. Laukkanen, Jussi Kauhanen & Sudhir Kurl

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Lapland Central Hospital, Rovaniemi, Finland

    Jari A. Laukkanen

  3. Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Kuopio and Brain Research and Rehabilitation Centre Neuron, Kuopio, Finland

    Juhani Sivenius

Authors
  1. Sanna H. Rantakömi
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  2. Jari A. Laukkanen
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  3. Juhani Sivenius
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  4. Jussi Kauhanen
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  5. Sudhir Kurl
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Correspondence to Sudhir Kurl.

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Rantakömi, S.H., Laukkanen, J.A., Sivenius, J. et al. Alcohol consumption and the risk of stroke among hypertensive and overweight men. J Neurol 260, 534–539 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-012-6672-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-012-6672-6

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