Alcohol Consumption and Progression of Heart Failure in Those at Risk for or With Pre-heart Failure.

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to understand the dose-response relationship between alcohol consumption, progression of left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) and/or symptomatic heart failure (HF) in an older European population at risk for HF (stage A) or with pre-HF (stage B).

METHODS

This longitudinal, observational, secondary analysis of the STOP-HF (St Vincent's Screening TO-Prevent Heart Failure) trial follow-up study excluded former alcohol drinkers and included patients with documented alcohol intake and echocardiography at baseline and follow-up ≥ 18 months. It evaluated the relationship between alcohol intake and progression of LVD/symptomatic (stage C) HF in those at risk for or with pre-HF.

RESULTS

Of 744 patients (mean age 66.5 [SD 9.8] years), 395 (53.1%) were female, and 260 (34.9%) had pre-HF at baseline. Overall, 201 (27.0%) patients reported no alcohol usage, 356 (47.8%) reported ≤70 g/week (low) alcohol intake, and 187 (25.1%) reported > 70g/week (moderate-high). Over a median follow-up of 5.44 (IQR 4.33;6.73) years, 84 (11.3%) patients experienced progression of LVD/symptomatic HF. Alcohol usage of > 70g/week was associated with an adjusted 4.9-fold (95% CI 1.7-15.1; P < 0.01) increased risk of HF progression among those with pre-HF at baseline. The adverse relationship remained significant when adjusting for age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, body mass index, as well as further models with baseline liver function and alcohol dehydrogenase 1B gene variant rs1229984 status. The association remained when excluding those with high (> 140 g) weekly alcohol intake. In patients at risk for HF, there was no association of alcohol usage with progression of LVD/symptomatic HF. No protective associations of low alcohol usage (≤70 g/week) on progression of HF were found.

CONCLUSION

Moderate to high alcohol (> 70 g/week) usage appears to be associated with progression of LVD/symptomatic HF in those with pre-HF, and we did not observe protective benefits of low alcohol usage.