Alcohol as a risk factor in cerebral haemorrhage

Evidence Summaries

Level of Evidence = C
The effect of alcohol use and elevated blood pressure on the risk of cerebral haemorrhage may be synergistic.

A population of 1621 individuals over 40 years of age were monitored for 26 years starting in 1961 1 . In the group with elevated blood pressure, the age-and-sex-controlled risk of cerebral haemorrhage was significantly increased (relative risk 3.13, 95% confidence interval 1.08 - 9.10) compared to the non-drinkers. In those with normal blood pressure, the use of alcohol did not increase the risk of cerebral haemorrhage. In case-control studies the crude OR for high alcohol intake was 3.36 (95% CI, 2.21 to 5.12) and for hypertension 3.68 (95% CI, 2.52 to 5.38) 2 .

References

1. Kiyohara Y, Kato I, Iwamoto H, Nakayama K, Fujishima M. The impact of alcohol and hypertension on stroke incidence in a general Japanese population. The Hisayama Study. Stroke 1995 Mar;26(3):368-72.  [PMID:7886708]

2. Ariesen MJ, Claus SP, Rinkel GJ, Algra A. Risk factors for intracerebral hemorrhage in the general population: a systematic review. Stroke 2003 Aug;34(8):2060-5.  [PMID:12843354]


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