Association Between Alcohol Consumption and Cardiovascular Risk Based on Data from the Three Generations for Health Program in Hungary

BACKGROUND Alcohol consumption has a significant effect on cardiovascular health, and risk factors, such as excessive alcohol use, should be avoided. Although alcohol consumption has decreased over the last decade in Hungary, it is still significantly higher than the average across the European Union. The objective of this study was to describe the patterns of alcohol use based on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), with a special focus on cardiovascular risk status (low, moderate, high, or very high). MATERIAL AND METHODS The Three Generations for Health program focuses on the development of primary health care in Hungary. One of the key elements of the program is the identification of risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. An ordinal multiple logistic regression analysis was performed with 10 categorical explanatory variables and the outcome was the categorical cardiovascular risk. RESULTS The database consisted of patients aged 40-65 years with a sample size of 11 348. A significant relationship was found between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular risk status; people with high-risk drinking patterns had higher a value of odds ratio (OR=1.306 [1.003-1.701]) for having a more serious cardiovascular status. According to multiple regression analysis, alcohol dependence was associated with cardiovascular risk. CONCLUSIONS From a public health perspective, the results highlight the importance of reducing alcohol consumption with the help of primary care and preventive services in countries with a high cardiovascular risk profile to reduce the cardiovascular disease-related burden.