Vriz O, Mos L, Palatini P for the HARVEST Study Group
Effect of alcohol on ambulatory blood pressure and
target organs in subjects with mild hypertension
12th Annual ASH Meeting
Am J Hypertens
(Apr) 10:7A 1997
The investigators report results from the Harvest study, which has
characterized a large
cohort of young borderline and mild hypertensives. Assessments of alcohol
intake were
obtained by interview, and nondrinkers were compared to heavy (> 50 g/day)
and light
(< 50 g/day) drinkers. Office BP was similar in the 3 groups, but
ambulatory
monitoring revealed that heavy drinkers had higher BP than nondrinkers. In
addition,
heavy drinkers had greater LVMI and albumin excretion rates, with the cardiac
changes
being independent of blood pressure level. The authors conclude that heavy
alcohol use
raises BP and has an independent effect in promoting LVH.
Comment: This study confirms the hypertensinogenic effect of heavy
alcohol intake
and suggests that in addition to raising BP, alcohol might also increase
cardiovascular
risk by promoting LVH. In concert with the previous abstract
(Amerena, et al., The effect of smoking on left ventricular structure and
function in
hypertensive patients), this study suggest the need for further study
of how
commonly encountered social factors impact on left ventricular growth.
(Alan Weder,
M.D., University of Michigan)
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12th Annual ASH Meeting
H: Special problems :
Smoking, ethanol, substance abuse
H: Pathophysiology :
Heart in hypertension