Heavy Drinking Linked to Surgical Infections

A Spanish study has found that surgery patients who are heavy drinkers run a much greater risk of developing infection after surgical procedures that those who do not drink.

In a study of 717 Spanish men who were hospitalized for general surgery, researchers found that 14.8 percent of the patients who were non-drinkers developed surgical-site infection or lower respiratory tract infection, compared with 25 percent of the patients who drank.

Surprisingly, the study found that drinking wine seemed to increase the risk of infection more than other beverages. Of the men who developed infections while in the hospital, 75 percent regularly consumed six or more glasses of wine per day.

The study was published in the British Journal of Surgery and reported by the Pak Tribune.

More: Heavy Drinking Dangers | Health Effects of Alcohol