Association Between Alcohol Intake and Cardiac Remodeling

Patrícia Rodrigues, Samuel Santos-Ribeiro, Tiago Teodoro, Filipe Veloso Gomes, Inês Leal, Jared P. Reis, David C. Goff, Alexandra Gonçalves, João A.C. Lima

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Alcohol-induced cardiotoxicity is incompletely understood. Specifically, the long-term impact of alcohol use on ventricular remodeling or dysfunction, its modulators, and effect thresholds among young adults remain controversial. Objectives: The authors sought to evaluate a potential relationship between alcohol intake and cardiac remodeling, assessed by echocardiography, over 20 years of follow-up. Methods: Among the CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) study cohort, the authors studied all subjects without baseline heart disorders who provided adequate information on their drinking habits and underwent echocardiographic evaluation at years 5 and 25 of the study. The echocardiographic outcomes were left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction, indexed LV end-diastolic volume and LV mass, and left atrial diameter. Participants were grouped according to their weighted-average weekly drinking habits. An additional analysis used the estimated cumulative alcohol consumption. Regression models and multivariable fractional polynomials were used to evaluate the association between alcohol consumption and the outcomes. Results: Among the 2,368 participants, alcohol consumption was an independent predictor of higher indexed LV mass (p = 0.014) and indexed LV end-diastolic volume (p = 0.037), regardless of sex. No significant relationship between alcohol intake and LV ejection fraction was found. Drinking predominantly wine was associated with less cardiac remodeling and there was a nonsignificant trend for a harmful effect of binge drinking. Conclusions: After 20 years of follow-up, alcohol intake was associated with adverse cardiac remodeling, although it was not related with LV systolic dysfunction in this initially healthy young cohort. Our results also suggest that drinking predominantly wine associates with less deleterious findings in cardiac structure.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1452-1462
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of the American College of Cardiology
Volume72
Issue number13
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 25 2018

Keywords

  • alcohol
  • alcoholic cardiomyopathy
  • cardiac remodeling
  • heart failure
  • ventricular dilatation
  • ventricular function

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Association Between Alcohol Intake and Cardiac Remodeling'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this