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(Stroke. 1995;26:790-794.)
© 1995 American Heart Association, Inc.
Articles |
Impact of Alcohol Consumption and Cigarette Smoking on Stroke Among the Elderly in Taiwan
From the Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine (T.K.L., Z.S.H., S.K.N.), and the Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health (K.W.A.C.), National Taiwan University, Taipei; the Department of Family Medicine, Veterans General Hospital, Taichung (Y.S.W.); the Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical College, Kaohsiung (H.W.L.); and the Department of Internal Medicine, Tz'u-chi Buddhist General Hospital, Hualien (J.J.L.), Taiwan, Republic of China.
Correspondence to Dr Ti-Kai Lee, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Background and Purpose We investigated the influence of alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking on all types of stroke and cerebral infarction, in particular among a representative sample of elderly residents in Taiwan.
Methods This study was a component of a nationwide survey of health and living status of residents aged 65 years or older in Taiwan in which subjects received detailed physical, neurological, and laboratory examinations. Inquiries were made about medical history, and information on the amount and duration of drinking and smoking was obtained. Diagnoses of stroke were made according to the results of brain computed tomography at the onset of disease or were based on criteria established by the World Health Organization.
Results Of the 2600 subjects, there were 155 elderly persons with
stroke (prevalence, 6%). Excessive drinking of more than 367.6 g/wk of
alcohol was associated with a high prevalence of cerebral infarction.
Consumption of 
367.5 g/wk of alcohol did not have an influence on
stroke prevalence. The relationship between duration of alcohol
drinking and stroke was equivocal. More than 30 pack-years of cigarette
smoking was a significant risk factor for all types of stroke and
cerebral infarction in particular. Using multiple logistic regression
to control for possible confounders, it was found that smoking was an
independent risk factors for all stroke and was of borderline
significance for cerebral infarction. Although excessive drinking was a
significant risk factor for cerebral infarction in univariate
analysis, this effect was lost after adjustment for other
confounders.
Conclusions Cigarette smoking was a more important risk factor for stroke and cerebral infarction than excessive drinking of alcohol.
Key Words: alcohol drinking • cigarette smoking • Taiwan
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