Search resultsAlcohol use and death from respiratory disease in a prospective Chinese elderly cohort study in Hong Kong
Title
Alcohol use and death from respiratory disease in a prospective Chinese elderly cohort study in Hong Kong
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2013
Authors
Journal
Preventive Medicine
Volume
57
Issue
6
Pagination
819 - 823
Date published
2013
ISBN
00917435 (ISSN)
Keywords
Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, alcohol, alcohol consumption, Alcohol Drinking, article, biological activity, BMI, Body Mass Index, cause of death, Chinese, chronic obstructive lung disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, CI, comorbidity, confidence interval, COPD, disease association, drinking behavior, Educational Status, esophagus cancer, Female, follow up, hazard ratio, health status, Hong Kong, HR, human, Humans, ICD, ICD-10, International Classification of Disease, major clinical study, male, morbidity, mortality, pneumonia, priority journal, Proportional Hazards Models, Prospective Studies, prospective study, Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive, Respiratory disease, respiratory tract disease, Respiratory Tract Infections, risk factor, Risk Factors, smoking, social status, Socioeconomic Factors
Abstract
Objective: In Western settings, moderate drinking is negatively associated with respiratory disease. However, moderate drinking is socially patterned, making this association vulnerable to contextual biases. Evidence from other contexts where the typical drinking pattern is different may clarify such observations. Methods: Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to assess the adjusted associations of alcohol use with death from respiratory disease using a population-based prospective cohort of 66,820 Chinese aged ≥ 65. years enrolled from July 1998 to December 2001 at all the 18 Elderly Health Centers of the Hong Kong Government Department of Health and followed till May 30, 2012. Results: During ten-year follow-up, 4065 deaths from respiratory disease occurred. Most current drinkers were occasional drinkers (< 1. day/week). Both moderate and occasional drinking (< 1. day/week) were associated with a lower risk of death from respiratory disease, but the point estimates and pattern of associations were similar between these two types of drinkers. Conclusion: The typical drinking pattern, i.e. occasional drinking (< 1. day/week), which is unlikely to have any biological effect, was similarly associated with a lower risk of respiratory disease as moderate alcohol use, suggesting the attributes of being a typical drinker may be protective.