Alcoholic registration and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality--a prospective study in middle aged Swedish men

The consequences of alcoholic intemperance and economic problems on CHD mortality and morbidity were studied among the participants in a large primary preventive trial. Official register data were used. Subjects registered with the Board of Social Welfare were categorised with respect to increasing load of alcoholic intemperance. Non-fatal CHD was not related to alcoholic problems. Fatal CHD, on the other hand, was strongly associated with registration for intemperance. This was especially pronounced for cases dying suddenly from CHD. A multivariate analysis was performed, controlling for smoking, systolic blood pressure and serum cholesterol, which showed that the association between intemperance and fatal CHD was independent of these factors.