THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION ON AMBULATORY BLOOD-PRESSURE AND TARGET ORGANS IN SUBJECTS WITH BORDERLINE TO MILD HYPERTENSION

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship of alcohol consumption to target organ involvement and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) in a population of young borderline to mild hypertensive subject s. Participants were 793 male subjects, aged 18-45 years, from the HAR VEST Study. The analysis was performed in three age-matched groups wit h similar body mass index. Casual and 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring, r outine biochemistry, echocardiography, and albumin excretion rate were measured. The men were divided into three groups: 1) nondrinkers, 2) drinkers of < 50 g/day, and 3) drinkers of greater than or equal to 50 g/day. Office systolic BP was not significantly different among the t hree groups, whereas 24-h and daytime BPs increased progressively from the first to the third group (group 1 v 3; P = .01 for 24-h systolic BP and P = .02 for daytime systolic BP). These differences remained si gnificant even after adjusting for smoking. Left ventricular mass inde x, interventricular septum thickness, and wall thickness increased pro gressively from group I to group 3; this difference also remained sign ificant after adjusting for smoking and 24-h BPs. The albumin excretio n rate was much higher in group 3 than in group 1 (P = .003), but when 24-h BP was added to the model the difference was no longer significa nt. These results indicate that alcohol has a detrimental effect on th e heart and the kidney. Alcohol's effect on LV wall thickness appears to be direct, whereas its action on albumin excretion rate seems to be mediated mainly by its effect on BP. (C) 1998 American Journal of Hyp ertension, Ltd.