A Retrospective Study Examining Self-Reported Alcohol Intake Among Adult Patients With Myocardial Infarction

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular epidemiology
• Public health research
• Alcohol consumption studies

Background:

• Alcohol consumption's link to cardiovascular disease (CVD) is complex, with heavy use increasing risk and moderate use potentially protective.
• The specific impact of binge drinking on myocardial infarction (MI) and coronary heart disease (CHD) requires further clarification for effective public health strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between binge drinking and the prevalence of MI or CHD in adults.
• To analyze how this association varies across different demographic and socioeconomic subgroups.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) dataset for a retrospective analysis.
• Defined binge drinking using CDC criteria and analyzed self-reported MI/CHD as the outcome variable.
• Controlled for age, gender, race, education, and income, employing cross-tabulations and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Main Results:

• Binge drinkers showed a significantly lower odds ratio (OR=0.432) for MI compared to non-binge drinkers.
• Associations varied by age, with younger adults (18-24) showing increased odds (OR=1.469) and older groups showing decreased odds.
• Lower odds of MI/CHD were observed across genders, races, education levels, and income groups among binge drinkers, though the youngest age group showed higher odds.

Conclusions:

• Binge drinking was associated with lower reported MI/CHD prevalence in this cross-sectional study.
• Findings suggest a complex relationship, but causality cannot be inferred due to self-reported data and potential confounding.