COMBINED CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH RISK FACTORS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
Over the past few decades, heavy smoking and alcohol use have been shown to results in serious health consequences and are associated with the increased risk of death. Alcohol and tobacco have an individual effect on the human body, but in combination they act synergistically, and the neurochemical processes that occur during their use seem to reinforce each other. The combined impact of tobacco and alcohol consumption on public health is still poorly understood, despite the fact that these two behavioral risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) often complement each other. The purpose of the study is to analyze prevalence of traditional risk factors for diseases of the circulatory system (DCS) depending on the combination of the behavioral risk factors (smoking and alcohol consumption). Material and methods - 1124 females and 476 males were included in the clinical and epidemiological prospective cohort study. The average age equaled to 54.9 ± 9.75 and 52.6 ± 10.0 years, respectively, p <0.001. Statistical data processing was carried out using the Statistica 6.0 software package. Results - the group of people who never used alcohol and tobacco was associated with the development of significant DCS (OR = 2.2, CI: 1.2-4.1, p = 0.010) and DCS resulting in hospitalization (OR = 1.7 , CI: 1.1-2.7, p = 0.015). The group of people who “smoke but quitted alcohol” was associated with a lower risk of significant DCS resulting in hospitalization (OR = 0.1, CI: 0.01-1.0, p = 0.050) and higher risk of death from all causes (OR = 23.9, CI: 1.0-587.5, p = 0.049). The group of people who “do not use tobacco, but drink alcohol” was associated with a lower risk of significant DCS resulting in hospitalization (OR = 0.3, CI: 0.2-0.7, p = 0.002), significant DCS resulting in hospitalization (OR = 0.5, CI: 0.3-0.8, p = 0.007). The group of people who “quitted tobacco and alcohol” was associated with a higher risk of death from all causes (OR=28.0, CI:1.0-769.8, p=0.047). The group of people who “quitted tobacco but continued to drink alcohol” was also associated with higher risk of death from all causes (OR=7.9, CI: 1.4-43.9, p=0.017). Also, the respondents who smoked but never consumed alcohol had a risk of developing obesity (OR=6.0, CI:1.2-30.0, p=0.027). Conclusion - a complete absence of behavioral risk factors was associated with the risk of developing significant DCS, including those resulted in hospitalization. The risk of death from all causes was higher in individuals who “smoke but quitted alcohol,” “quitted tobacco and alcohol,” and “quitted tobacco, but drink alcohol”.