Binge drinking and mortality from all causes and cerebrovascular diseases in korean men and women: a Kangwha cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the association between binge drinking and risks of mortality due to all causes of death with a focus on cerebrovascular disease in Korean men and women. METHODS This study followed a cohort of 6291 residents in Kangwha County, aged > or =55 years in March 1985, for their cause-specific mortality for 20.8 years up to December 31, 2005. We calculated hazard ratio of mortality by experience or frequency of binge drinking using the Cox proportional hazard model. Binge drinking was defined as having > or =6 drinks on one occasion. RESULTS In men, binge drinkers who drink daily had an increased risk of mortality from all causes (hazard ratio, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.60) as compared with nondrinkers. They showed much increased risks of mortality from total stroke (hazard ratio, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.16 to 2.99) and hemorrhagic stroke (hazard ratio, 3.39; 95% CI, 1.38 to 8.35). Female binge drinkers also showed an increased risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease as compared with female nondrinkers, but the outcome was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that frequent binge drinking has a harmful effect on hemorrhagic stroke in Korean men. These findings need to be confirmed in further studies.