Premium
Association of Cerebral Infarction and Chronic Alcoholism: An Autopsy Study
Author(s) -
Walbran Bonnie B.,
Nelson James S.,
Taylor John R.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1981.tb05355.x
Subject(s) - autopsy , medicine , incidence (geometry) , population , diabetes mellitus , myocardial infarction , risk factor , cerebral infarction , cardiology , alcohol abuse , infarction , alcohol consumption , alcohol , psychiatry , ischemia , endocrinology , biochemistry , chemistry , physics , environmental health , optics
Central nervous system (CNS) infarcts were present at autopsy in 10 of 23 alcoholic patients and in 9 of 36 nonalcoholic patients. There were more males than expected in the infarct population and in the alcoholic population. Male subjects comprised the entire population of alcoholics with infarcts. In addition, a history of alcohol abuse was present in every case of cerebral infarction dying before age 75. The incidence of cardiomegaly was increased among the alcoholics. There were no differences between alcoholics and nonalcoholics in the incidence of diagnosed hypertension, moderate‐to‐severe coronary atherosclerosis, or adult onset diabetes. However, CNS infarction was more likely to occur at an earlier age in alcoholics than in nonalcoholics. Excessive alcohol consumption may be a risk factor in the premature development of cerebrovascular disease in males.