US EditionHeavy Drinking Is Tied to Worse Strokes, Study Finds
Heavy drinkers had brain bleeds 70% larger and occurred 11 years earlier, linked to blood vessel damage and higher stroke severity in a 1,600-patient study.
- On November 5, a Mass General Brigham study published in Neurology found heavy drinkers had intracerebral hemorrhages about 11 years earlier and 70% larger.
- Researchers hypothesize heavy alcohol use defined as three or more drinks per day raises blood pressure and lowers platelet counts, increasing brain bleed risk; about 7% met this threshold.
- Imaging revealed severe white matter hyperintensities in heavy drinkers, with Shih noting `We observed that occasional alcohol use was associated with double the odds of intracranial hemorrhage` and daily use linked to 150% increased odds.
- Clinical outcomes show only 20% of people who sustain a brain bleed care for themselves one year after hemorrhage, while up to 50% die and 30% become severely disabled.
- Researchers called for larger, more diverse studies because the study's limitations include self-reported alcohol use, a small heavy-drinker group, single hospital data, and a mostly white cohort, while Gurol emphasized `Minimizing or stopping alcohol use is an important step to lower that risk.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Heavy drinking linked to worse strokes — Harvard Gazette
Health Heavy drinking linked to worse strokes Getty Images Mass General Brigham Communications November 6, 2025 4 min read Study finds larger, deeper brain bleeds at an earlier age for patients who have 3 or more alcoholic drinks a day A new study by investigators from Mass General Brigham suggests that heavy alcohol use may lead to more severe brain bleeds and cause long-term brain vessel damage at a yo…
A new study has found that excessive alcohol consumption is related to earlier and more severe brain haemorrhages. The article , published on Wednesday in the journal Neurology, examined the relationship between alcohol and intracerebral hemorrhages, the most deadly and incapacitating type of stroke . Researchers found that heavy drinkers — those who consumed three or more alcoholic beverages a day — suffered an stroke, on average, 11 years earl…
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Heavy drinking is tied to worse strokes, study finds
Heavy drinking is tied to earlier and more severe brain bleeds, a new study found. The paper, published Wednesday in the journal Neurology, examined the link between alcohol and intracerebral hemorrhages -- the deadliest, most disabling type of stroke.
Bleeding strokes strike earlier and harder in heavy drinkers
People who drink heavily may have bleeding strokes a decade earlier than people who are not heavy drinkers, according to a study published November 5, 2025, in Neurology®, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Not just a hangover: Alcohol consumption linked to severe brain bleeds, study finds
A new study reveals that excessive alcohol consumption significantly increases the risk of severe brain bleeds, leading to long-term brain damage. Discover the dangers associated with drinking and how to lower your risk.
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