Cerebral Hemorrhage and Alcohol Exposure: A Review

AIMS: To investigate the dose-response relationships between alcohol and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), the impact of alcohol on the outcome of ICH and possible mechanisms underlying hypertensive ICH (HICH) caused by heavy drinking. METHODS: Literature search from 1985 to August 2019 in the PubMed database. RESULTS: The relationship between low-middle alcohol consumption and ICH remains controversial for various reasons, whereas chronic heavy drinking increases the incidence of ICH and exerts worse outcome. More attention is needed to clarify the characteristics of chronic alcohol intake and binge drinking. Chronic alcohol abuse tends to elevates blood pressure, resulting in increased occurrence of HICH and exaggerated HICH-contributed brain injury. CONCLUSION: It is important to develop strategies to promote reasonable intake categories, prevent alcoholism and thus reduce the risk of ICH.