The J-curve in HIV: Low and moderate alcohol intake predicts mortality but not the occurrence of major cardiovascular events. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
Wandeler et al. performed an analysis of the association between different levels of alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease events (CADE) free survival and overall mortality. Among 9’741 SHCS participants included, there were 788 events of CADE or deaths during the follow-up period, corresponding to an incidence of 1.69 events/100 person-years. Compared with no or very low alcohol intake, low [hazard ratio (HR) 0.79] and moderate alcohol intake (0.78) were associated with a lower incidence of the endpoint, whereas no association was detected for high intake. In addition, a significant association was observed between education level and CADE or death (high vs. low: HR 0.7) and between cumulative treatment with abacavir or protease inhibitors and CADE or death.
The study-results underline the protective effect of low and moderate alcohol consumption on CADE-free survival and overall survival. However, the specific impact of drinking patterns and type of alcoholic beverage on this outcome remains to be determined.