Haemorrhagic strokes attributable to chronic alcohol consumption and heavy episodic drinking in France

Researchers in Bordeaux, France estimated the number of cases and deaths related to haemorrhagic stroke (HS) attributable to a chronic alcohol consumption and to heavy episodic drinking (HED) in France.
A population-attributable fraction (PAF) estimation approach was used. Relative risks for haemorrhagic stroke with alcohol consumption were extracted from the INTERSTROKE study. Levels of alcohol consumption in the French population were collected from the 2017 Health Barometer. Data on HS morbidity and mortality were extracted from the French National Health Data System (SNDS).
Researchers estimated that 7.2% (n = 2,100) and 6.6% (n = 1,900) of cases with haemorrhagic stroke were attributable to chronic alcohol consumption and HED, respectively. PAFs were higher in men than in women with 11.5% vs 2.6% for a chronic consumption and 10.7% vs 2.1% for HED, respectively. It was estimated that 7.0% of haemorrhagic stroke deaths (n = 1,100) were attributable to chronic alcohol consumption and 5.1% attributable to HED (n = 800). Finally, 16.3% of patients with haemorrhagic stroke (n = 4,700) and 14.1% of haemorrhagic stroke deaths (n = 2,300) were attributable to overall chronic alcohol consumption or to monthly HED.
The researchers say that these results are a reminder of the importance of alcohol consumption in the occurrence of haemorrhagic stroke and the importance of implementing primary and secondary prevention measures, particularly among young people, where HED is most common.
Source: Dufour L, Grave C, Bonaldi C, Joly P, Andler R, Quatremere G, Nguyen-Thanh V, Olié V, Gabet A. Hemorrhagic Strokes Attributable to Chronic Alcohol Consumption and Heavy Episodic Drinking in France. Neurology. 2024 Apr 23;102(8):e209228.