A prospective study linked both alcohol and tobacco to Dupuytren's disease

To address the role of alcohol intake and tobacco smoking and the combination of the two on subsequent risk of Dupuytren's disease.

Cohort study of 7,254 subjects enrolled in the Copenhagen City Heart Study (1981-1983). Both self-reported information on lifestyle and objective measures at the baseline examination were linked to presence of Dupuytren's disease at a subsequent examination (1991-1994) using multivariate logistic regression analysis.

A total of 772 subjects had signs of Dupuytren's disease at follow-up. After adjustment for age, sex, educational level, diabetes, and either alcohol or tobacco consumption, respectively, odds ratios for having the disease increased in a dose-dependent manner with increasing levels of alcohol or tobacco intake; however, there was no statistical interaction between heavy smoking and heavy drinking.

Alcohol intake and tobacco smoking are independently associated with increased risk of Dupuytren's disease, and the combination of the two conveys a very large risk.