Alcohol use and subsequent cerebrovascular disease hospitalizations.

We studied the relations between reported alcohol use and the incidence of hospitalization for several types of cerebrovascular disease. Daily consumption of three or more drinks, but not lighter drinking, was related to higher hospitalization rates for hemorrhagic cerebrovascular disease, especially intracerebral hemorrhage. Age, blood pressure, and black race were other independent predictors of hemorrhagic events; higher blood pressure appeared to be a partial mediator of the relation between alcohol use and hemorrhagic events. Alcohol use was associated with lower hospitalization rates for occlusive cerebrovascular disease; an inverse relation was present in both sexes, whites and blacks, and for extracranial and intracerebral occlusive lesions. Other predictors of hospitalization for occlusive disease included age, blood pressure, smoking, blood glucose and total cholesterol concentrations, and baseline disease. Our data suggest that heavier drinking increases the risk of hemorrhagic cerebrovascular events, but that alcohol use may lessen the risk of occlusive lesions.