Think you’re too young for a stroke? Study says heavy alcohol use may trigger one sooner

Researchers reviewed data from 1,600 patients treated for non-traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage at Massachusetts General Hospital between 2003 and 2019. About 7% of the patients reported drinking three or more alcoholic drinks per day.

People who drank heavily experienced brain bleeds at a younger age — an average of 64, compared with 75 for those who did not drink — and had hemorrhages that were about 70% larger, the study found. They were also twice as likely to have bleeding deep in the brain or into the brain’s fluid-filled spaces.

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“Brain bleeds are among the most lethal and disabling neurological conditions,” senior author Dr. Edip Gurol, a clinician investigator in the Mass General Brigham Department of Neurology and associate professor at Harvard Medical School told The Harvard Gazette. “Heavy drinking appears to accelerate the type of small vessel damage that increases the risk.”

The study reported that heavy drinkers had higher blood pressure and lower platelet counts upon hospital arrival.

Researchers said these changes may weaken blood vessels and reduce the blood’s ability to clot, increasing the likelihood and severity of bleeding.

Even more moderate consumption — around two drinks per day — was linked to earlier onset of brain hemorrhage, the researchers said.

Gurol said reducing alcohol intake may help lower the risk.

“Minimizing or stopping alcohol use is an important step to reduce brain bleed risk,” he said, adding that limiting alcohol to no more than three drinks per week may support overall brain and cardiovascular health.

The authors noted limitations, including reliance on self-reported alcohol use, a relatively small number of heavy drinkers in the sample, and the study’s focus on a predominantly white population at a single medical center.

They said more research is needed in larger and more diverse groups to better understand how alcohol affects brain aging and stroke risk.