Alcohol-induced hypertension: What you need to know

This is an automatically translated article.


Posted by Doctor Phan Dinh Thuy Tien - General Internal Medicine - Department of Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital

Heavy drinking is the cause of many digestive diseases, heart disease, blood pressure, obesity and stroke. In particular, alcoholic hypertension has been reported in many cases. So what is the relationship between high blood pressure and alcohol?

In one study, the blood pressure of 132 alcoholic patients whose mean daily alcohol consumption exceeded 80g was measured while drinking, during alcohol withdrawal and after a period of abstinence.
At study initiation blood pressure exceeded 140/90 in 51.5% of patients. There was a significant correlation between blood pressure and average daily alcohol intake for the previous three months, and also between blood pressure levels and severity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
There was no association between blood pressure and degree of liver histological injury, but correlation was found with serum gamma-glutamyl-transferase activity and with mean erythrocyte volume.

Rượu và bệnh lý tăng huyết áp có mối liên hệ với nhau
Rượu và bệnh lý tăng huyết áp có mối liên hệ với nhau

In most patients, blood pressure drops to normal after withdrawal, and remains that way for at least a year in those who continue to abstain. However, the increased blood pressure after drinking started again.
Excessive alcohol consumption is an important and under-recognized cause of hypertension. Although the exact mechanism is unknown, a simple and effective treatment is to persuade the patient to abstain from alcohol.

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References:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6116043/ Lancet. 1981 Sep 26;2(8248):653-6. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(81)90995-8. PMID: 6116043 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(81)90995-8
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