A study conducted at Harvard revealed that excessive alcohol consumption (CEA) is a modifiable risk factor that can influence the severity of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and cerebral small vessel disease (SCVD), but its role is not yet fully understood.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether excessive alcohol consumption could lead to more severe brain hemorrhages and long-term brain vascular damage at an earlier age. The study was carried out between 2003 and 2019 at Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States.

It was defined as habitual alcohol consumption of more than 3 alcoholic drinks per day. Through multivariable regression models, associations were evaluated between habitual alcohol consumption and the clinical and radiological characteristics of acute intracerebral hemorrhage.

The results showed that they had a regular alcohol consumption, suffered the stroke around the age of 64, compared to 75 years of age for non-drinkers or occasional drinkers.. About 11 years difference. And, furthermore, the hemorrhage was more catastrophic, with around 70 percent probability of affecting deep areas of the brain, where the consequences are usually more severe.

Study reveals that drinking predisposes to having a stroke

The work was carried out on 1,600 patients treated over 16 years. Of them, 7 percent consumed at least three alcoholic drinks a day, Of these 851 were men, that is, 53 percent, the average age was 75 years.but those who recorded a stroke were those who drank regularly around the age of 64.

Even the World Stroke Organization recalled that stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain stops due to a blood clot or hemorrhage.

Strokes are one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, but most can be prevented. treating a small number of key risk factors, such as alcohol consumption. Drinking too much alcohol can increase the risk of suffering a stroke. Excessive alcohol consumption is linked to more than one million strokes annually worldwide.

This is because alcohol is linked to other conditions that are associated with stroke, for example hypertension, drinking too much alcohol increases your blood pressure.

High blood pressure is linked to more than half of all strokes. Frequent drinking can damage the circulatory system and increase the risk of stroke.

Drinking alcohol also causes atrial fibrillation (AF). People with AF are 5 times more likely to suffer a stroke. AF can cause blood clots in the heart. If these clots break or travel to the brain, they can cause a stroke. People who have a stroke related to AF are more likely to die or suffer serious disability after the stroke.

Also having diabetes and consuming alcohol can change the way your body responds to insulin, the hormone that helps your body convert blood sugars into energy. This can cause type 2 diabetes.

Being overweight increases the risk of suffering a stroke. Alcohol has many calories, So drinking too much alcohol can cause weight gain or make it harder to lose weight.

And consuming too much alcohol can damage the liver and prevent it from producing substances that help the blood clot. This can increase the chance of bleeding in the brain, known as a hemorrhagic stroke.