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Results for “heavy drinking”

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PubMed1982

Factors influencing outcome of pregnancy in heavy-drinking women.

18 pregnant women identified as heavy drinkers by the criteria of Cahalan et al., gave birth to 6 normal infants, 5 infants with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and 7 with partial FAS. Average daily alcohol consumption of mothers of normal infants was less than that of mothers of FAS and partial FAS infants. Lower socioeconomic class, higher parity and increased use of tobacco and other drugs were non-alcohol-related maternal factors which appeared to influence the outcome of pregnancy in heavy-drinking women.

Diet↗

PubMed2006

The association among smoking, heavy drinking, and chronic kidney disease.

Several factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD), including diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, are described consistently in the literature; studies describing modifiable lifestyle factors, including smoking and consumption of alcohol, are sparse, sometimes contradictory. The authors examined the factors associated with CKD in a population-based cohort in Wisconsin, with emphasis on smoking and consumption of alcohol. CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate of less than 60 ml/minute per 1.73 m(2) from serum creatinine. The authors performed two analyses: 1) cross-sectional analysis among 4,898 persons with prevalent CKD (n = 324) as the outcome of interest and 2) longitudinal analysis among 3,392 CKD-free persons at baseline, with 5-year incident CKD (n = 114) between 1993 and 1995 as the outcome of interest. Smoking and heavy drinking, defined as consumption of four or more servings of alcohol per day, were associated with CKD, independent of several important confounders. Compared with that among never smokers, the odds ratio of developing CKD was 1.12 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.63, 2.00) among former smokers and 1.97 (95% CI: 1.15, 3.36) among current smokers. Heavy drinking was associated with CKD, with an odds ratio of 1.99 (95% CI: 0.99, 4.01). Joint exposure to both current smoking and heavy drinking was associated with almost fivefold odds of developing CKD compared with their absence (odds ratio = 4.93, 95% CI: 2.45, 9.94). Smoking and consumption of four or more servings of alcohol per day are associated with CKD.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

The validity of the CAGE scale to screen for heavy drinking and drinking problems in a general population survey.

BACKGROUND: The CAGE scale is a short test developed in the 1970s to screen for alcoholism or covert drinking problems. The reliability and validity of the scale has been demonstrated in the majority of studies conducted in clinical settings, but the validity of the scale in general population surveys has not yet been shown conclusively. AIMS: The goal of this study was to assess the criterion validity of the CAGE scale in a general population survey. METHOD: Data from a large general health survey conducted in 1992 in the province of Quebec (Canada) (N = 23,564) were used to define various measures of heavy drinking and drinking problems and to calculate, for male and female drinkers separately, standard measures of sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value at different cutoff scores on the CAGE. FINDINGS: With respect to both male and female drinkers, with all operational definitions of heavy drinking and useful cutoff scores on the CAGE, the scale was shown to be unable to discriminate between heavy drinkers and non-heavy drinkers. Prevalence of drinking problems among CAGE positive drinkers was also very low. CONCLUSION: These results do not support the use of the CAGE as a screening tool for heavy drinking and drinking problems in a general population survey or as a tool to estimate the prevalence of drinking problems in the population.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

How much can data on days with heavy drinking decrease the underestimation of true alcohol consumption?

An adjusted quantity-frequency method, with questions on occasions with heavy drinking, was used to estimate the consumption of alcohol during the last 30 days. The purpose was to analyze if it was possible to decrease the underestimation of true alcohol consumption. The questionnaire was mailed to a randomized sample of 1,500 individuals, 20-75 years of age, living in the city of Malmö, Sweden; 930 persons (64.3%) participated. Data on alcohol consumption were validated by comparison to sales of alcohol for the city of Malmö. The estimated per capita consumption of alcohol in the population was equivalent to 77.0% of the registered sale of alcohol in Malmö. By adding days with heavy drinking, the estimated weekly per capita consumption of alcohol among the alcohol consumers increased from 74.5 grams to 77.1 grams (+3.5%; p < .001). Of the alcohol consumers, 15.1% increased their reported consumption. In order to decrease even more the underestimation of the true alcohol consumption, we suggest the use of questions about any alcohol consumption that deviates from the typical consumption of each individual.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) in serum as a possible indicator of heavy drinking in young university students.

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) in serum was studied as a possible marker of heavy drinking in a sample of 187 female and 102 male 1st year university students from Finland. CDT was measured by a new radioimmunoassay (Pharmacia CDT RIA). Alcohol consumption was measured on a quantity-frequency scale. For female students CDT was 18.2 +/- 0.45 units/liter (mean +/- SEM) and for male students 13.3 +/- 0.48 units/liter. 9.6% of female students and 7.8% of male students had elevated CDT with a cut-off level of 26 units/liter for females and 20 units/liter for males. The correlation between CDT and reported alcohol consumption was 0.30 (p less than 0.001) for females and 0.25 (p = 0.014) for males. Those reporting a consumption of at least 10 kg of pure ethanol per year were considered as heavy drinkers (3.7% of females and 22.5% of males). In female students the average CDT of heavy drinkers did not differ significantly from that of social drinkers but in teetotalers CDT was significantly (p less than 0.03) lower than in female alcohol users. In male students the average CDT of heavy drinkers was higher than the average of social drinkers (p less than 0.1) and significantly higher than the average of teetotalers (p less than 0.001). In the detection of heavy drinking among male students elevated CDT had a specificity of 96.2% and a sensitivity of 21.7%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

PubMed2006

The status of naltrexone in the treatment of alcohol dependence: specific effects on heavy drinking.

BACKGROUND: In almost 2 decades of naltrexone research for treating alcoholism, there have been 29 published randomized placebo-controlled trials of opioid antagonists, primarily naltrexone, for the treatment of alcohol dependence. The present review builds on prior systematic reviews while maximizing the number of included studies to date, for the purpose of resolving inconsistencies in naltrexone's reported efficacy across trials. Clinical trial results in this article are evaluated by the type of outcome measure used to determine naltrexone's treatment advantage, that is, measures related to reducing heavy drinking versus those related to increasing abstinence. METHODS: We conducted a Medline search to identify double-blind studies from 1990 to the present (2006) that evaluated the use of anopiate antagonist for the treatment of alcohol dependence. There were 29 studies identified, representing 5997 alcohol-dependent patients, which met our study inclusion criteria for this review. Studies were evaluated in this review on 4 prespecified drinking outcomes-2 related to "any drinking" and 2 related to "heavy or excessive drinking." RESULTS: In the treatment of alcohol dependence, we found that 19 (70%) of 27 clinical trials that measured reductions in "heavy or excessive drinking" demonstrated an advantage for prescribing naltrexone over placebo, whereas only 9 (36%) of 25 clinical trials that measured abstinence or "any drinking" found an advantage for medication over placebo. CONCLUSION: The majority of double-blind clinical trials in the literature favored prescribing naltrexone for alcohol dependence to reduce heavy drinking. This finding is consistent with our understanding of naltrexone's mechanism of action of decreasing excessive drinking by reducing the reward associated with drinking alcohol. Thus, we conclude that outcome measures related to heavy or excessive drinking are most relevant to defining naltrexone's therapeutic effects. Factors influencing naltrexone response (treatment adherence and distinct patient subgroups) are also discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Hon v. Stroh Brewery Company: what do we mean by "moderate" and "heavy" drinking?

Although widely used, drinking terms such as "light,"' "moderate," and "heavy" are unstandardized and, as a result, public health messages using these terms may convey confusing information. As an initial attempt in providing such standardization, the present study surveyed public definitions for these terms. "Light" drinking was operationally defined as 1.4-2.4 drinks/day; "moderate" drinking was defined as 2.5-3.6 drinks/day; and "heavy" drinking was defined as 3.7 drinks/day and above. These ranges, however, were dependent on the respondent's gender, age, socioeconomic status, and especially the respondent's self-reported tolerance. Males had a higher threshold of consumption for "moderate" and "heavy" drinking than women. Older respondents likewise assigned a higher threshold for these terms than younger respondents. As respondent income increased, the threshold for "heavy" drinking decreased. The heaviest drinkers had a higher threshold for assigning the "heavy" label than did any other group. Ethnicity did not significantly affect these ranges, and religion only affected the threshold for "heavy" drinking. Because reseachers ultimately rely on terms such as "moderate" or ":heavy" to communicate their findings to colleagues and the public, it would seem apposite for them to agree on operational definitions for such terms. It would also seem appropriate to consider the operational definitions the public uses when referring to these terms to promote credibility of research findings and appropriate changes in behavior.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Who does the hat fit? Teenager heterogeneity and the effectiveness of information policies in preventing cannabis use and heavy drinking.

This paper models heterogeneity in the relationship between exposure to information at school or in the media and cannabis use and heavy drinking, using latent class techniques applied to data on French teenagers collected in 1993. Teenagers cluster in five classes which differ in their tastes for drunkenness and cannabis, and in the correlations between information exposure and cannabis use or heavy drinking. Teenager heterogeneity and habit-formation or precociousness effects limit the effectiveness of general information policies. Improving the impact of prevention requires that interventions be better targeted and personalised. We show how economic theory, latent class techniques and existing psychometric questionnaires can be used to build simple statistical tools for targeting prevention policies.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin for detection and monitoring of sustained heavy drinking. What have we learned? Where do we go from here?

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) has been widely investigated as a biological marker of heavy alcohol consumption. In general, it has been found to be at least as sensitive and probably more specific than gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT). Because the two analytes are not highly correlated, their use in parallel enhances the sensitivity of detection of heavy alcohol consumption, especially in clinical populations. Women as a group produce more CDT under natural conditions and may produce less CDT in response to heavy drinking. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin has found a place in the monitoring of alcoholics during treatment. Changes in CDT levels from individualized baseline values seem to be more sensitive to lower level relapse drinking than is the use of raw cut-off values. There are some conditions such as severe liver disease in which higher than normal levels of CDT are produced, thereby reducing the specificity of this marker for detecting heavy drinking under certain conditions. Future directions for the use of CDT include standardization and automation of measurement technology, evaluation of how to use it wisely in myriad medical and institutional settings, understanding more thoroughly the gender issues in its production, and greater evaluation of its performance as a monitoring tool during treatment and follow-up situations. How to combine CDT with both verbal tools of alcohol assessment and newer biological markers will also need more extensive evaluation.

Alcohol Drinking↗

PubMed2006

Effects of heavy drinking by maritime academy cadets on hangover, perceived sleep, and next-day ship power plant operation.

OBJECTIVE: The effects of an evening of heavy drinking on next-day occupational performance are mixed across studies and have not been investigated for ship-handling performance. Furthermore, it is not known whether the residual effects of alcohol on next-day performance are due to its effects on sleep. METHOD: Merchant marine cadets (N=61) who had been trained on a diesel power plant simulator and who drank heavily at least episodically were given placebo beer one evening and were randomized on a second evening to placebo or real beer that resulted in a mean breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) of .115 g%. After an 8-hour sleep period, a meal, and a return to < or = .02 g% BrAC, cadets were assessed with self-report measures and the power plant simulator. RESULTS: No effects of beverage condition were seen on actual performance, although cadets who consumed alcohol rated their performance as impaired compared with the placebo conditions. Alcohol consumption also increased the Acute Hangover Scale score, improved perceived sleep quality, and decreased perceived latency to sleep onset while not affecting perceived sleep duration. CONCLUSIONS: While residual alcohol effects are found on some complex performance tasks, residual effects of .11 to .12 g% BrAC were not seen on ship engine simulator performance despite increased hangover symptoms and perceived impairment from the hangover. Therefore, this level of heavy drinking might not be deleterious to next-day routine occupational performance by young ship engineers despite the subjective ill effects. The perception that alcohol improves sleep onset might be a motivation for some to drink heavily. The effects on older engineers, at higher alcohol levels, and on other ship-handling tasks still need to be studied.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Early changes in left ventricular function in chronic asymptomatic alcoholics: relation to the duration of heavy drinking.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess preclinical cardiac abnormalities in chronic alcoholic patients and possible differences among alcoholics related to the duration of heavy drinking. BACKGROUND: Chronic excessive alcohol intake has been reported as a possible cause of dilated cardiomyopathy. However, before the appearance of severe cardiac dysfunction, subtle signs of cardiac abnormalities may be identified. METHODS: We studied 30 healthy subjects (age 44 +/- 8 years) and 89 asymptomatic alcoholics (age 45 +/- 8 years, p = NS) divided into three groups, with short (S, 5-9 years, n = 31), intermediate (I, 10-15 years, n = 31) and long (L, 16-28 years, n = 27) duration of alcoholism. Transmitral early (E) and late (A) Doppler flow velocities, E/A ratio, deceleration time of E (DT) and isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) were obtained. Left ventricular (LV) wall thickness and volumes were also determined by echocardiography, and LV mass and ejection fraction (EF) were calculated. RESULTS: The alcoholics had prolonged IVRT (92 +/- 11 vs. 83 +/- 7 ms, p < 0.001), longer DT (180 +/- 20 vs. 170 +/- 10 ms, p < 0.01), smaller E/A (1.25 +/- 0.34 vs. 1.40 +/- 0.32, p < 0.05), larger LV volumes (73 +/- 8 vs. 65 +/- 7 ml/m2, p < 0.001 for end-diastolic volume index; 25 +/- 4 vs. 21 +/- 2 ml/m2, p < 0.001 for end-systolic volume index), higher LV mass index (92 +/- 14 vs. 78 +/- 8 g/m2, p < 0.001) and thicker posterior wall (9 +/- 1 vs. 8 +/- 1 mm, p < 0.001). Ejection fraction did not differ between the two groups (66 +/- 4 vs. 67 +/- 2%). Deceleration time of the early transmitral flow velocity was longer in groups L (187 +/- 18 ms) and I (185 +/- 16 ms) compared with group S (168 +/- 17 ms, p < 0.001 for L and I vs. S), whereas A was higher in group L compared with S (43 +/- 10 vs. 51 +/- 10 cm/s, p < 0.005). Multiple regression analysis identified duration of heavy drinking as the most important variable affecting DT and A. CONCLUSIONS: Left ventricular dilation with preserved EF and impaired LV relaxation characterized LV function in chronic asymptomatic alcoholic patients. It appeared that the progression of abnormalities in LV diastolic filling related to the duration of alcoholism.

Adult↗

PubMed1988

Heavy drinking and accidents--a prospective study among men of working age.

The injuries of 438 consecutive men of working age (20-64 years) were investigated. These patients were admitted to the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology of the Helsinki University Central Hospital. The MAST interview was used as the criterion for heavy drinking. Of the whole series 27.4 per cent met the heavy drinking criterion and in 36.4 per cent alcohol intoxication (AI) was present on admission. AI was more common in heavy drinkers (62 per cent) compared with the controls (23 per cent) (chi 2 test, P less than 0.001). S-GGT was elevated in 34 per cent of the heavy drinkers. Elevated levels of S-GGT among heavy drinkers also correlated with postoperative complications. The hospital stay of the heavy drinkers compared with the controls was statistically significantly longer (10.7 days versus 7.3 days). Although the proportion of alcohol intoxication among heavy drinkers was high, of the heavy drinkers almost 40 per cent were sober on admission. Interviews, such as MAST are recommended for use routinely with injured patients to assess alcohol abuse 'through accidents'.

Accidents↗

PubMed1981

Continued heavy drinking and survival in alcoholic cirrhotics.

Survival of 64 male chronic alcoholic cirrhotics with first-onset ascites discharged from a gastrointestinal convalescent service was examined over a 32-mo period of study. Of 54 patients discharged as improved, 23 (43%) remained abstinent for a mean time of 14.0 mo and 15 (28%) resumed heavy drinking (greater than 2 g/kg/day). Twelve of 15 heavy drinkers died in a mean time of 7.2 mo, while all but one abstainer were alive. Differences in survival were statistically significantly different (p less than 0.001) when examined by the life-table method. Survival of 16 "moderate or binge" drinkers was not significantly different from abstainers. However, the number of rehospitalizations for liver disease was increased in this group. The study indicates that continued heavy drinking is associated with poor survival of alcoholic cirrhotics.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Alcohol use outcomes and heavy drinking at 4-5 years among a treatment sample of drug misusers.

This paper investigates alcohol outcomes and heavy drinking among 418 drug misusers from the National Treatment Outcome Research Study who completed followup interviews at 1, 2, and 4-5 years. About a quarter of the sample were drinking heavily at intake. Alcohol consumption at followup was predicted by drinking prior to intake, and about a quarter of those who were classified as alcohol abstainers, medium-level drinkers, or heavy drinkers at intake, remained in the same drinking category at all assessment points. Drinking outcomes were not related to opioid use. Heavy drinkers at followup were more likely to be using non-opioid drugs. The poor drinking outcomes are a matter for concern. Drug misusers with concurrent alcohol problems may require special treatment provision. The extent of heavy drinking among drug misusers both before and after treatment indicates a need to develop and strengthen programs and interventions to tackle alcohol-related problems in this patient group.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Cross-national performance of the RAPS4/RAPS4-QF for tolerance and heavy drinking: data from 13 countries.

OBJECTIVE: There are little data available on the performance of brief screening instruments for alcohol-use disorders cross-nationally; therefore, we analyzed the performance of one such instrument in a number of countries. METHOD: Performance of the RAPS4 for tolerance and the RAPS4-QF for heavy drinking are analyzed from emergency room data across 13 countries included in the combined Emergency Room Collaborative Alcohol Analysis Project (ERCAAP) and the World Health Organization Collaborative Study on Alcohol and Injuries. RESULTS: The RAPS4 showed good sensitivity and specificity for tolerance across most of the countries, but was higher in countries that were higher on societal-level detrimental drinking patterns. Prevalence of tolerance was also higher in those countries with high detrimental drinking pattern scores. Sensitivity of the RAPS4-QF for heavy drinking was uniformly high across countries, while maintaining good specificity, and did not vary by detrimental drinking patterns. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest the RAPS4 and RAPS4-QF may hold promise cross-nationally. Future research should more fully address the performance of brief screening instruments for alcohol-use disorders (using standard diagnostic criteria) cross-nationally, with consideration of the impact of societal drinking patterns.

Alcoholism↗

PubMed1993

Conventional laboratory tests as indicators of heavy drinking in young university students.

Conventional laboratory tests: gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) were studied as possible markers of heavy drinking in a sample of 1,619 first-year university students in Helsinki. Alcohol consumption was measured on a frequency-volume scale. No significant (p < 0.001) correlation between the laboratory tests and reported drinking was found. However, significant differences between different drinking groups were found in GGT, MCV, and HDL-cholesterol in both female and male students and in cholesterol in male students. We conclude that, even if alcohol drinking has some impact on GGT, MCV, HDL-cholesterol, and cholesterol (males), these tests are neither specific nor sensitive enough to be used as screening tests for heavy drinking in young students.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Co-occurring psychiatric symptoms and drug dependence or heavy drinking among HIV-positive people.

This study sought to establish population-based estimates of the prevalence of co-occurring psychiatric symptoms and either or both drug dependence symptoms or heavy drinking among individuals who test positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and to identify the factors associated with such comorbidity. Data from the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS), a nationally representative sample of HIV-infected adults receiving medical care in the U.S. in 1996 (N = 2,864), were used to estimate the prevalence of comorbidity. Logistic regression was used to identify the independent influences of sociodemographic and HIV-related variables on comorbidity. The authors estimate that 13% of people with HIV receiving care in the U.S. in 1996 had co-occurring psychiatric symptoms and either or both drug dependence symptoms or heavy drinking. The odds of having a comorbid condition were higher for males, heterosexuals, and people with more HIV-related symptoms. The odds were lower for people living with AIDS, African Americans, people who were gay or sexually abstinent, those living with a spouse, those aged 50 years or older, and those with private insurance. Sixty-nine percent of those with a substance-related condition also had psychiatric symptoms; 27% of those with psychiatric symptoms also had a substance-related condition.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Left ventricular size, mass and function in relation to the duration and quantity of heavy drinking in alcoholics.

Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and mild dysfunction are frequently observed in alcoholics but little is known about how they relate to the duration and severity of alcohol abuse. LV size, mass and function were studied using echocardiography and systolic time intervals in 78 middle-aged male alcoholics who also gave detailed accounts of the duration of heavy drinking, the quantity of recent ethanol consumption and the duration of abstinence. Compared with 34 healthy nonalcoholics, alcoholics had a higher LV mass index (85 +/- 2 [mean +/- standard error] vs 77 +/- 2 g/m2, p = 0.001), a thicker posterior wall (11 +/- 0.2 vs 10 +/- 0.2 mm, p = 0.02), a longer end-systolic diameter index (18 +/- 0.3 vs 17 +/- 0.3 mm/m2, p = 0.02), and a higher preejection period/ejection time ratio (0.36 +/- 0.01 vs 0.33 +/- 0.01, p = 0.002). In multivariate linear regression models, these abnormalities proved independent of the drinking history, except that posterior wall thickness was weakly related to the duration of heavy drinking (standardized correlation coefficient 0.36, p = 0.01). Univariate analyses suggested that the LV mass index and systolic time interval ratio had, if anything, a curvilinear relation to the total duration of heavy alcohol consumption. It is concluded that the LV hypertrophy and dysfunction found in alcoholics are poorly related to the duration and severity of self-reported alcohol abuse. Together with other data, this suggests that there is no simple linear dose-injury relation in the long-term cardiotoxicity of ethanol. Factors modifying the myocardial effects of ethanol need to be studies more in the future.

Adult↗