Identifying drinking patterns in a middle-aged population and their association with coronary heart disease, stroke, and all-cause mortality risk: the Danish Health Examination Survey

Alcohol drinking patterns encompass various dimensions of consumption. However, most studies have focused narrowly on the quantity of alcohol consumed. This study aimed to identify alcohol-drinking patterns in middle-aged population using alcohol-related variables and to examine their relationship with coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and all-cause-mortality risk. The present population-based study included adults from the Danish Health Examination Survey (DANHES) cohort who were ≥40 years old and free of CHD and stroke at baseline (n = 46 141). Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was used to identify distinct subpopulations based on six alcohol-related variables (amount, frequency, binge episodes, type, within meals, at home and alone). Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) between drinking patterns and CHD, stroke, and all-cause mortality during a median follow-up of 11.8 years. Four classes of drinking patterns were identified in both sexes (labeled as "low drinkers," "low-to-moderate drinkers," "moderate-regular drinkers," and "frequent-heavy drinkers"). The more frequent drinking pattern was a median of 3 (2-5) drinks per week. Frequent heavy drinking was associated with a higher risk of stroke. Individuals in the low-to-moderate male drinking class and the moderate-regular female drinking class not under heart medication had a lower risk of all-cause mortality than low-level drinkers. Four distinct drinking patterns were identified. Among individuals 40 years and older, frequent-heavy drinking was associated with a higher risk of stroke, while low-to-moderate regular drinking might be associated with a lower all-cause mortality risk compared to low drinkers.