[Relationship of regional alcohol drinking habit and cardiovascular risk factors in Croatia]

The aim was to investigate regional distribution of drinking habit and its relation to the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors.

Nine thousand and seventy participants older than 18 questioned during THE 2003 Croatian health Survey were analyzed and weighted data extrapolated to the adult Croatian population. Study group included subjects reporting regular intake of any type of alcohol drink (liquor, wine or beer) during the past year. Alcohol abstainers surved as a control group.

The highest prevalence of alcohol drinking was recorded in south Croatia (32.3%, n= 215529). Alcohol drinkers were mostly men (72%). In all Croatian regions there was a rather uniform distribution of liquor drinking (6-7 glasses, 0.033 L per day). Subjects from west Croatia and the City of Zagreb mostly reported drinking wine (4-5 glasses, 0.2 L per day). A mixture of wine and water predominated in south and north Croatia (7 glasses, 0.2 L per day), whereas subjects that mainly took beer were from east and central Croatia (10 bottles, 0.33 L per day). The highest prevalence of arterial hypertension (56.6%) was found in regular alcohol drinkers from west Croatia. The highest prevalence of acute myocardial infarction (6.7-7.0%) and angina pectoris (8.2-8.6%) was observed in subjects from northn Croatia and the City of Zagreb. However, the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction was more common in regular alcohol drinkers, and of angina in abstainers. The lowest prevalence of acute myocardial infarction was recorded in regular drinkers from central Croatia (1.4%). The prevalence of stroke was generally lower in regular drinkers, with lowest prevalence in west Croatia (0.9%).

Drinking habit varies among regions of the Republic of Croatia, according to the prevalence, quantity and type of alcohol beverage, and so does the distribution of cardiovascular risk factors. On comparing regional distribution of cardiovascular risk factors between regular consumers and abstainers we observed a divergent influence of alcohol consumption, especially on the occurrence of arterial hypertension and stroke.