The Impact of Binge Drinking on Mortality and Liver Disease in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study

Abstract

Whereas excessive alcohol consumption increases liver disease incidence and mortality, evidence on the risk associated with specific drinking patterns is emerging. We assessed the impact of binge drinking on mortality and liver disease in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study. All participants with follow-up between 2013 and 2020 were categorized into one of four drinking pattern groups: “abstinence”, “non-hazardous drinking”, “hazardous but not binge drinking” (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test Consumption [AUDIT-C] score ≥ 3 in women and ≥4 in men), and “binge drinking” (≥6 drinks/occasion more than monthly). We estimated adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR) for all-cause mortality, liver-related mortality and liver-related events using multivariable quasi-Poisson regression. Among 11,849 individuals (median follow-up 6.8 years), 470 died (incidence rate 7.1/1000 person-years, 95% confidence interval [CI] 6.5–7.8), 37 experienced a liver-related death (0.6/1000, 0.4–0.8), and 239 liver-related events occurred (3.7/1000, 3.2–4.2). Compared to individuals with non-hazardous drinking, those reporting binge drinking were more likely to die (all-cause mortality: aIRR 1.9, 95% CI 1.3–2.7; liver-related mortality: 3.6, 0.9–13.9) and to experience a liver-related event (3.8, 2.4–5.8). We observed no difference in outcomes between participants reporting non-hazardous and hazardous without binge drinking. These findings highlight the importance of assessing drinking patterns in clinical routine.