Objective: To address the role of alcohol intake and tobacco smoking and the combination of the two on subsequent risk of Dupuytren's disease.
Study design and setting: Cohort study of 7,254 subjects enrolled in the Copenhagen City Heart Study (1981-1983). Both self-reported information on lifestyle and objective measures at the baseline examination were linked to presence of Dupuytren's disease at a subsequent examination (1991-1994) using multivariate logistic regression analysis.
Results: A total of 772 subjects had signs of Dupuytren's disease at follow-up. After adjustment for age, sex, educational level, diabetes, and either alcohol or tobacco consumption, respectively, odds ratios for having the disease increased in a dose-dependent manner with increasing levels of alcohol or tobacco intake; however, there was no statistical interaction between heavy smoking and heavy drinking.
Conclusion: Alcohol intake and tobacco smoking are independently associated with increased risk of Dupuytren's disease, and the combination of the two conveys a very large risk.