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Alcohol consumption and its relation to risk factors for cardiovascular disease in the north-west of Russia: the Arkhangelsk study.

Nilssen O, Averina M, Brenn T, Brox J, Kalinin A, Archipovski V

Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tromsö, Norway. Odd.Nilssen@ism.uit.no

BACKGROUND: To explore indicators and levels of alcohol consumption in a Russian population, and to elaborate these in relation to risk factors for cardiovascular disease. METHODS: A total of 1963 men and 1734 women, aged 18-75 years, consecutively recruited at their compulsory annual medical check-up at the Semashko outpatient clinic, Arkhangelsk, participated in a cross-sectional health survey. The survey comprised a physical examination, a six-page questionnaire on health and lifestyle, and blood tests. RESULTS: Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) levels in both sexes were more than twice as high as found in comparable studies. Elevated GGT-levels were 4-5 times more frequent than found in Norwegian studies. Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) identified up to 75% of male workers and 47% of female workers as hazardous or harmful alcohol drinkers. The traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease were significantly higher in subjects with a high level of GGT. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate an extremely high level of alcohol consumption in this population. Elevation in GGT was significantly associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

Published 3 August 2005 in Int J Epidemiol, 34(4): 781-8.
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