Alcohol consumption, coping, and the gender gap in cardiovascular disease

This chapter examines the role of alcohol consumption in the gender gap in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality among the nations of Central and Eastern Europe. Two alcohol-related explanations for increased CVD mortality, particularly among young to middle-aged men, are explored, Men engage in chronic heavy drinking and binge drinking more often than women. Alcohol may play a direct role in CVD mortality related to the physiological effects of binge drinking on the cardiovascular system, including the precipitation of sudden death. Alcohol also may play an indirect role in CVD mortality, related to the use of alcohol by men as a way to cope. That is, men may drink as a means of escaping stress related to the social, economic and political changes that have occurred in Central and Eastern Europe during the past decade. The implications of alcohol's role in gender differences in CVD mortality are discussed.