Hangover and the risk of stroke in middle-aged men

Objectives The aim of this study was to examine the association between hangover and the risk of stroke. Material and methods A population‐based sample of men with an average follow‐up of 15.7 years. 2466 men with no history of stroke at baseline participated. Two hundred and six strokes occurred, of which 167 were ischemic strokes. Results The age‐adjusted, relative risk (RR) for any stroke among men with ≥1 hangover per year was 2.33‐fold (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.19–4.56; P = 0.013) relative to men without hangover, and 2.99‐fold (95% CI, 1.52–5.86; P = 0.001) for ischemic stroke, respectively. After adjustment for age, smoking, high density lipoprotein (HDL)‐cholesterol, LDL‐cholesterol, BMI, SBP, myocardial ischemia during exercise, symptomatic coronary heart disease (CHD) and CHD in family, C‐reactive protein, diabetes, and total alcohol consumption, the RR for any stroke was 1.94‐fold (95% CI, 0.95–3.96; P = 0.070) and 2.58‐fold (95% CI, 1.24–5.36; P = 0.011) for ischemic stroke among men with hangovers. Additional adjustment of atrial fibrillation and cardiac failure and risk was 2.45‐fold (95% CI, 1.18–5.12; P = 0.017) for ischemic strokes. Conclusion This study shows that at least one hangover a year is related to an increased risk of ischemic stroke in men.