Objective: To determine whether alcohol consumption is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) among HIV-infected veterans.
Methods: Using established thresholds for alcohol consumption, we analyzed cross-sectional data from 4743 men (51% HIV infected) from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study, a prospective cohort of HIV-infected veterans and demographically similar HIV-uninfected veterans. Using logistic regression, we estimated the odds ratio (OR) for the association between alcohol consumption and prevalent CVD.
Results: Among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected men, respectively, hazardous drinking (33.2% vs. 30.9%,), alcohol abuse and dependence (20.9% vs. 26.2%), and CVD (14.6% vs. 19.8%) were common. Among HIV-infected men, hazardous drinking [OR = 1.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.05 to 1.94] and alcohol abuse and dependence (OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.07 to 2.23) were associated with a higher prevalence of CVD compared with infrequent and moderate drinking. Among HIV-uninfected men, past drinkers had a higher prevalence of CVD (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.67). For HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected men, traditional risk factors and kidney disease were associated with CVD.
Conclusions: Among HIV-infected men, hazardous drinking and alcohol abuse and dependence were associated with a higher prevalence of CVD compared with infrequent and moderate drinking even after adjusting for traditional CVD risk factors, antiretroviral therapy, and CD4 count.