Estudios científicos

Relationship between alcohol consumption and cardiac structure and function in the elderly: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Abstract:

BACKGROUND:
Excessive alcohol consumption is associated with cardiomyopathy, but the influence of moderate alcohol use on cardiac structure and function is largely unknown.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
We studied 4466 participants from visit 5 of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study (76±5 years and 60% women) who underwent transthoracic echocardiography, excluding former drinkers and those with significant valvular disease. Participants were classified into 4 categories based on self-reported alcohol intake: nondrinkers, drinkers of ≤7, ≥7 to 14, and ≥14 drinks per week. We related alcohol intake to measures of cardiac structure and function, stratified by sex, and fully adjusted for covariates. In both genders, increasing alcohol intake was associated with larger left ventricular diastolic and systolic diameters and larger left atrial diameter (P<0.05). In men, increasing alcohol intake was associated with greater left ventricular mass (8.2±3.8 g per consumption category; P=0.029) and higher E/E' ratio (0.82±0.33 per consumption category; P=0.014). In women, increasing alcohol intake was associated with lower left ventricular ejection fraction (-1.9±0.6% per consumption category; P=0.002) and a tendency for worse left ventricular global longitudinal strain (0.45±0.25% per consumption category; P=0.07).
CONCLUSIONS:
In an elderly community-based population, increasing alcohol intake is associated with subtle alterations in cardiac structure and function, with women appearing more susceptible than men to the cardiotoxic effects of alcohol.
 

Comentarios divulgativos:

Un consumo excesivo de alcohol se asocia con enfermedades cardiovasculares, pero el efecto de un consumo moderado es en gran parte desconocido. En este estudio se observaron a 4.466 participantes con aproximadamente 75 años, el 60% de los participantes siendo mujeres, que tuvieron que someterse a un ecocardiograma, excluyendo aquellos que era ex bebedores y con enfermedad valvular significativa. Se clasificaron en 4 categorías en función de su consumo de alcohol; no bebedores, y bebedores de menos de 7, más de 7 y más de 14 bebidas por semana. Se observó que en una población de edad avanzada, el aumento de la ingesta de alcohol se asocia con las enfermedades cardiovasculares, siendo las mujeres más susceptibles que los hombres. 

Excessive alcohol consumption is associated with cardiovascular disease but the effect of moderate alcohol consumption is largely unknown. This study observed 4466 participants in their seventies, 60% of participants being women, who had to undergo an echocardiogram, excluding those who were former drinkers and had significant valvular disease. They were classified into 4 categories based on their alcohol intake; non-drinkers and drinkers of less than 7, more than 7 and more than 14 drinks per week. It was observed that in an elderly population, increased alcohol intake is associated with cardiovascular disease, women appearing more susceptible than men.