Alcohol consumption and risk of total hip replacement due to hip osteoarthritis in women

A study examined the relation of alcohol consumption to hip osteoarthritis in women. The study authors state that alcohol has been associated with both adverse and beneficial health effects generally, however, the relation of alcohol consumption to hip osteoarthritis has been minimally studied.
Among women in the Nurses’ Health Study cohort in the United States, alcohol consumption was assessed every four years, starting in 1980. Intake was computed as cumulative averages and simple updates with latency periods of 0-4 through 20-24 years. 83,383 women, without diagnosed osteoarthritis in 1988 were followed to June 2012. 1,796 cases of total hip replacement due to hip osteoarthritis were identified.
Alcohol consumption was positively associated with hip osteoarthritis risk. Compared with nondrinkers, multivariable hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were 1.04 (0.90, 1.19) for drinkers of >0 to <5 grams/day, 1.12 (0.94, 1.33) for 5 to <10 grams/day, 1.31 (1.10, 1.56) for 10 to <20 grams/day, and 1.34 (1.09, 1.64) for ≥20 grams/day. This association held in latency analyses of up to 16-20 years, and for alcohol consumption between 35-40 years of age. Independent of other alcoholic beverages, the multivariable hazard ratios (per 10 gram of alcohol) were similar for individual types of alcohol intake (wine, liquor, and beer).
Higher alcohol consumption was associated with greater incidence of total hip replacement due to hip osteoarthritis in a dose-dependent manner in women.
Source: Marchand NE, Hu Y, Song M, Rosner BA, Karlson EW, Ratzlaff C, Lu B, Liang MH, Willett WC. Alcohol consumption and risk of total hip replacement due to hip osteoarthritis in women. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2023 Apr 25.