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Alcohol Consumption and Systemic Hypertension (from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey)

Amer I Aladin1, Parag A Chevli2, Muhammad Imtiaz Ahmad3

  • 1Section of Interventional Cardiology, MedStar Georgetown University/Washington Hospital Center, Washington, District of Columbia.

The American Journal of Cardiology
|September 22, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Moderate to heavy alcohol consumption is linked to a higher prevalence of systemic hypertension (SH). This study analyzed 17,059 participants, finding increased odds of SH in moderate and heavy drinkers compared to non-drinkers.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Excessive alcohol consumption is linked to systemic hypertension (SH).
  • Associations between low to moderate alcohol intake and SH remain unclear.
  • The 2017 ACC/AHA hypertension guidelines provide new blood pressure categorizations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between alcohol consumption patterns and blood pressure categories.
  • To utilize the updated 2017 ACC/AHA hypertension guidelines for analysis.
  • To examine associations in a large, representative US population sample.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 17,059 participants from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
  • Alcohol consumption assessed via self-reported questionnaires.
  • Blood pressure measured using standardized protocols; categorized using 2017 ACC/AHA guidelines.
  • Multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors.

Main Results:

  • Moderate drinkers (7-13 drinks/week) showed increased odds of prevalent stage 1 and stage 2 SH (ORs 1.51-1.55).
  • Heavy drinkers (≥14 drinks/week) exhibited significantly higher odds of prevalent stage 1 and stage 2 SH (ORs 1.65-2.46).
  • No significant association found between alcohol consumption and the 'elevated' blood pressure category.

Conclusions:

  • Moderate and heavy alcohol consumption are associated with a higher prevalence of systemic hypertension.
  • Self-reported alcohol intake may be subject to response bias.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms linking alcohol consumption to SH risk.

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