Association between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular risk in Hungary

Alcohol consumption has a significant effect on cardiovascular health. Although alcohol consumption has decreased over the last decade in Hungary, it is still significantly higher than the average across the European Union. Researchers at the Gottensburg National Cardiovascular Center in Budapest, Hungary, described patterns of alcohol use based on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), with a special focus on cardiovascular risk status (low, moderate, high, or very high).
The Three Generations for Health program focuses on the development of primary health care in Hungary. One of the key elements of the program is the identification of risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. An ordinal multiple logistic regression analysis was performed with 10 categorical explanatory variables and the outcome was the categorical cardiovascular risk. The study data included 11,348 patients aged 40–65 years.
A significant relationship was found between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular risk status; people with high-risk drinking patterns had higher risk for having a more serious cardiovascular status (OR=1.306 [1.003–1.701]). According to multiple regression analysis, alcohol dependence was associated with cardiovascular risk.
From a public health perspective, the results highlight the importance of reducing alcohol consumption with the help of primary care and preventive services in countries with a high cardiovascular risk profile to reduce the cardiovascular disease-related burden.
Source: Szőllősi GJ, Csenteri O, Jancsó Z, Vajer P, Kardos L, Andréka P. Association Between Alcohol Consumption and Cardiovascular Risk Based on Data from the Three Generations for Health Program in Hungary. Med Sci Monit. 2023 Jun 26;29:e940327.