Search resultsAlcohol consumption in relation to 20-year COPD mortality and pulmonary function in middle-aged men from three European countries
Title
Alcohol consumption in relation to 20-year COPD mortality and pulmonary function in middle-aged men from three European countries
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2001
Authors
Journal
Epidemiology
Volume
12
Issue
2
Pagination
239 - 245
Date published
2001
ISBN
10443983 (ISSN)
Keywords
Adult, alcohol consumption, Alcohol Drinking, article, chronic obstructive lung disease, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease mortality, Cohort Studies, controlled study, Cross-Sectional Studies, drinking behavior, Europe, forced expiratory volume, gender, human, Humans, International comparisons, Lung, Lung Diseases, Obstructive, lung function, major clinical study, male, Middle Aged, mortality, priority journal, Pulmonary function, risk assessment, Risk Factors, spirometry
Abstract
Alcohol consumption shows a U-shaped relation with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. To determine whether a similar relation exists between alcohol and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease mortality, we analyzed data on alcohol consumption in 1970 and 20-year mortality from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among 2,953 middle-aged men from Finland, Italy, and the Netherlands. We also studied alcohol consumption in relation to pulmonary function (FEV 1 or FEV 0.75) at baseline. We used regression models adjusted for age, height (for pulmonary function only), body mass index, smoking habits, energy intake, and country. A smoothed spline-plot showed a U-shaped relation between alcohol and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease mortality. Compared with non-drinkers and occasional drinkers, the relative risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease mortality was 0.60 (95% CI = 0.33-1.09) in light drinkers (>1 drink per week, ≤3 drinks per day) and 1.25 (95% CI = 0.47-3.31) in moderate-to-heavy drinkers. Pulmonary function was lower in non-drinkers compared with occasional and light drinkers in Finland (75 ml, 95% CI = -2 to 151) and the Netherlands (93 ml, 95% CI = 0-186) and lower in very heavy (>12 drinks per day) compared with moderate-to-heavy drinkers in Italy (99 ml, 95% CI = 9-189). In conclusion, we observed a U-shaped curve between alcohol consumption and 20-year chronic obstructive pulmonary disease mortality in middle-aged men that was supported by cross-sectional data on alcohol and pulmonary function.