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Research Article: Association of long-term alcohol consumption with DSA-defined concurrent intracranial and extracranial steno-occlusive involvement in acute ischemic stroke

Date Published: 2026-08-25

Abstract:
Intracranial and extracranial arteries differ in vascular wall structure and susceptibility to atherosclerosis. However, some patients with acute ischemic stroke have steno-occlusive lesions in both arterial compartments. The factors associated with this cross-compartment distribution remain unclear. We examined whether long-term alcohol consumption was associated with digital subtraction angiography (DSA)-defined concurrent intracranial and extracranial involvement. This retrospective study included patients with acute ischemic stroke who presented within 7?days of symptom onset and underwent cervicocerebral DSA at Huishui People’s Hospital, Guizhou, China, from January 2024 to March 2026. Long-term alcohol consumption was defined as drinking on at least 3?days per week for at least 5?years before the index stroke. Concurrent involvement was defined as at least one intracranial and at least one extracranial atherosclerotic steno-occlusive lesion in the same patient. The main multivariable logistic regression model included long-term alcohol consumption, age, sex, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and smoking. Among 249 patients, 59 (23.7%) had long-term alcohol consumption and 126 (50.6%) had concurrent involvement. The prevalence of long-term alcohol consumption was 11.8% in patients with isolated intracranial involvement, 19.1% in those with isolated extracranial involvement, and 32.5% in those with concurrent involvement ( p =?0.003). After adjustment, long-term alcohol consumption remained associated with concurrent involvement (adjusted OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.21–5.50; p =?0.015). Compared with isolated intracranial involvement, long-term alcohol consumption was associated with higher odds of concurrent involvement (adjusted OR 2.73, 95% CI 1.09–6.79; p =?0.031). A similar but nonsignificant estimate was observed when isolated extracranial involvement was the comparator (adjusted OR 2.64, 95% CI 0.94–7.46; p =?0.066). In this DSA-selected cohort, long-term alcohol consumption remained associated with concurrent intracranial and extracranial steno-occlusive involvement after multivariable adjustment. This finding reflects a cross-compartment anatomical distribution pattern rather than overall atherosclerotic burden or stenosis severity. Given the retrospective single-center design, the findings should be interpreted cautiously and confirmed in larger prospective multicenter studies.

Introduction:
Intracranial and extracranial arteries differ in vascular wall structure and susceptibility to atherosclerosis. However, some patients with acute ischemic stroke have steno-occlusive lesions in both arterial compartments. The factors associated with this cross-compartment distribution remain unclear. We examined whether long-term alcohol consumption was associated with digital subtraction angiography (DSA)-defined concurrent intracranial and extracranial involvement.

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