Abstract
BackgroundAlthough binge drinking and high resting heart rate independently affect cardiovascular and all-cause mortality risk, the combined effect of these two risk factors and their interaction has rarely been studied. This study examined the association between binge drinking and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality and evaluated the potential modifying effect on this association of resting heart rate in Korean men.MethodsMen aged 55 years or older in 1985 (n = 2600) were followed for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality for 20.8 years, until 2005. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality by binge drinking and resting heart rate using the Cox proportional hazard model.ResultsHeavy binge drinkers (≥12 drinks on one occasion) with elevated resting heart rate (≥80 bpm) had a HR of 2.25 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.47–3.45) for death from cardiovascular disease and 1.37 (95% CI, 0.87–2.14) for all-cause mortality compared to the reference group (non-drinking and resting heart rate 61–79 bpm). The HRs of dying from cardiovascular disease increased linearly from 1.36 to 1.52, 1.71, and 2.25 among individuals with resting heart rate greater than or equal to 80 bpm within the four alcohol consumption categories (non-drinking, non-binge, moderate binge, and heavy binge), respectively.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that, among older Korean men, heavy binge drinkers with an elevated resting heart rate are at high risk for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.
Highlights
We report findings of a survival analysis examining the combined effect of alcohol intake and resting heart rate on cardiovascular and all-cause mortality among Korean men
Our study showed that heavy binge drinking and elevated resting heart rate alone and in combination are strong predictors of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality
The association between alcohol consumption and resting heart rate demonstrated in the present study is in line with results from previous studies, which showed that alcohol drinking was associated with heart rate,[7,12] high resting heart rate.[8,11]
Summary
The overall alcohol consumption in Korea is among the highest in the world, with 14.8 L pure alcohol consumed per capita annually,[1] and heavy drinking is quite prevalent, with 46.3% of adult males being heavy drinkers.[2,3] Studies of drinking patterns have consistently found that binge drinking is a risk factor for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.[4,5] People consuming more than 12 drinks on one occasion had the highest incidence of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD), including hypertension and stroke.[4,6] A number of studies have found alcohol consumption to be associated with changes in heart rate and arrhythmias.[7,8] Likewise, previous epidemiological studies have shown a strong positive association between elevated resting heart rate and cardiovascular mortality in the general population.[9,10] Some studies have reported that electrocardiographic changes may develop after long-term alcohol consumption.[11,12]. Binge drinking and high resting heart rate independently affect cardiovascular and all-cause mortality risk, the combined effect of these two risk factors and their interaction has rarely been studied. This study examined the association between binge drinking and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality and evaluated the potential modifying effect on this association of resting heart rate in Korean men. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality by binge drinking and resting heart rate using the Cox proportional hazard model. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that, among older Korean men, heavy binge drinkers with an elevated resting heart rate are at high risk for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality
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