DRINKING PATTERN AND BLOOD-PRESSURE

Large amounts of alcohol are known to increase blood pressure. There i s little evidence about the effect of binge drinking of alcohol on blo od pressure, although this is the dominant style of alcohol drinking i n several countries. The purpose of the present study was to examine t he relationship between binge drinking and blood pressure using daily heavy drinkers as a reference group. We examined 260 consecutive nonal coholic 40- and 45-year-old men participating in a health screening. T here were 37 teetotalers, 147 social drinkers, 62 weekend heavy drinke rs attending the health screening 2 to 7 days after binge drinking, an d 14 men who drank heavily every day. Group division was made using se lf-reported alcohol consumption and a structured alcohol questionnaire . Blood pressure was measured manually by a mercury manometer. BMDP st atistical software was used in the statistical analysis of the materia l. The diastolic blood pressure of weekend heavy drinkers (mean intake during the weekend, 289 g) did not differ from that found in teetotal ers but systolic blood pressure was slightly higher (5 mm Hg, P =.04). In contrast, daily heavy drinkers (mean intake during the weekend [Fr iday to Saturday], 151 g) had significantly higher systolic (8 mm Hg, P =.04) and diastolic (6 mm Hg, P =.05) blood pressure values than tee totalers. We conclude that different drinking habits seem to have diff erent effects on blood pressure, those of daily heavy drinking being m ore prominent than those of weekend heavy drinking.