An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an enlarged area in the lower part of the aorta. That’s the major vessel that supplies blood to the body. Most aortic aneurysms (or aneurisms) are AAA. So a ruptured AAA can cause bleeding leading to death. So any connection between AAA and alcohol is important to life.
Risk Factors
A risk factor is anything that increases the chance of a disease or event. Having many doesn’t mean an AAA will occur. Nor will having none will mean it won’t. Major risk factors for AAA include these.
- Being over 65 years of age.
- Smoking.
- Being male.
- Having atherosclerosis (clogged blood vessels).
- A family history of AAA.
Study
Little is known about the link between drinking and the risk of having AAA. So researchers studied 44,715 men and 35,569 women. They were from the Swedish Mammography Cohort. Their ages were 46-84 at the beginning of the study.
Alcohol consumption was measured by a food frequency questionnaire. The researchers studied them for 14 years. That’s 1,019,954 person-year. During that time 1,020 men and 194 women had AAAs.
Results
Drinking beer and wine in moderation was linked with a lower risk of getting an AAA. No effect was found for drinking spirits (liquor). There were few heavy drinkers. Thus, researchers couldn’t see if heavy drinking has any effects on risk.
Resources: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm and Alcohol
Web Pages
Books
- Am Heart Assn. Your Heart… Guide to Heart Health.
- Ascheim, R., et al. Heart Health. Your Questions Answered.
- Chambers, R. Boost Your Heart Health.
- Crocker, B. Cookbook. Heart Health.
- Gillinov, M. and Nissen, S. Heart 411. The only Guide to Heart Health You’ll Ever Need.
- Jackson, G. Heart Health.
Video
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. It includes an animated of the vascular system and covers these.
- Common risk factors.
- Signs and symptoms.
- Testing .
- Dangers of rupture.
- Treatment options.
- Lifestyle management.
Source
- Stackenberg, O., et al. Alcohol consumption, specific alcoholic beverages, and abdominal aortic aneurysm. Circ, 130, 646-652.
Note
- This site gives no advice. So it gives none about abdominal aortic aneurysm and alcohol.