ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION AND THE RISK OF MAJOR UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL-BLEEDING

Objective: To examine the association between current alcohol consumpt ion and major upper gastrointestinal bleeding, Methods: In a case-cont rol study in the United States, Sweden, and Hungary, 1004 incident cas es with upper gastrointestinal bleeding without predisposing factors w ere compared with 2446 controls, Relative risks for categories of alco hol consumption (based on the number of drinks currently consumed/wk) were estimated using logistic regression; the potential confounding ef fects of cigarettes, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and other f actors were controlled simultaneously. Results: Compared with drinkers of < one drink/wk, the relative risks among other current drinkers ra nged from 0.8 for 1-6 drinks/wk to 6.3 for greater than or equal to 35 drinks; the trend was statistically significant (p < 0.001). A signif icantly increased relative risk was seen for the heaviest consumption category within various subgroups: gastric and duodenal hemorrhage; ma les and females; age <60 yr and greater than or equal to 60 yr; and th ose who consumed beer, wine, liquor, or a combination of beverages, Co nclusions: These findings provide evidence that consumption of alcohol increases the risk of major gastric and duodenal bleeding in nonpredi sposed individuals.