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The Clinician's Conundrum

Thomas A. Pearson, MD, PhD; Paul Terry, MPH

JAMA. 1994;272(12):967-968.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

The current issue of THE JOURNAL contains a report of yet another mechanism by which alcohol consumption may prevent the onset of coronary heart disease. Ridker et al¹ demonstrate an association between alcohol consumption and plasma levels of tissue plasminogen activator—a major component of the fibrinolytic system. This article is consistent with the sizable literature on the protective effects of alcohol with regard to coronary heart disease² and may account for the other half of coronary disease reduction not explained by the beneficial effects of alcohol on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. The article also suggests that in addition to the antiatherosclerotic effect of alcohol via HDL-C metabolism, alcohol may affect the second step in the pathogenesis of myocardial infarction, namely, coronary thrombosis.

See also p 929.

Conundrum is defined by American Heritage Dictionary as "a problem admitting of no satisfactory solution." The stance that the medical community . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the M. I. Bassett Research Institute, Cooperstown, NY (Dr Pearson), and Division of Epidemiology, Columbia University School of Public Health, New York, NY (Dr Pearson and Mr Terry).

Footnotes
Reprint requests to M. I. Bassett Research Institute, 1 Atwell Rd, Cooperstown, NY 13326 (Dr Pearson).

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