brace guidelines address alcohol co...

brace guidelines address alcohol consumption in patients with hypertension. The of the present day American Heart Association advisory commends that patients with hypertension avoid alcohol consumption. This recommendation conflicts with the Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee in succession the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High posterity Pressure (JNC VI), which states that men should limit their alcohol intake to pair drinks per day and women should limit their intake to united drink per day. The reason for these recommendations is that heavy alcohol consumption has been shown to elevate vital fluid pressure.

In patients who spend more than three drinks by day, reduction in alcohol intake can lower children pressure. Current studies have shown an inverse relation between moderate alcohol consumption and cardio-vascular mortality. However, these studies are not specific for patients who have hyper-tension. Malinski and colleagues evaluated the relation between light and moderate alcohol consumption and cardiovascular mortality in men with hypertension.

The reflection population included participants in the Physicians' Health meditation who were identified as having hypertension. Baseline data included a specific question about alcoholic beverage consumption. Information also was scrape togethered about other coronary risk factors, including smoking, cholesterol flushs use of cholesterol-lowering agents, systolic and diastolic progeny pressures, frequency of vigorous exercise, history of angina, and history of diabetes. visible form [i]or[/i] frame mass index was calculated using the participants' reported weight and height. conclusion points assessed were total deaths, total cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction, reverse other cardio-vascular outcomes, and cancer deaths. Data were obtained from a national database and from death certificates for those who died during the follow-up period.

The subject of attention population included 14,125 participants with a mean follow-up period of 54 years, resulting in 75710 person-years. During the studious mood 1,018 participants died, with 569 percent of the deaths resulting from cardiovascular causes. Those who reported monthly weekly, and daily alcohol consumption had an adjusted relative risk for cardiovascular mortality that was significantly les than the risk in participants who reported that they rarely or not ever drank. This significant trend continued flat in men who reported systolic posterity pressures of 140 mm Hg or higher and diastolic constraining forces of 90 mm Hg or higher. The relative risk for all mortality was significantly les in the collection that reported monthly, weekly, or daily alcohol consumption compared with the arranges who rarely or never drank. There was no association between moderate alcohol consumption and cancer deaths.

The authors terminate that light to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a reduction in risk of total and cardiovascular mortality in hypertensive men They note that this application of mind needs to be confirmed by dint of other large scale studies and that the consequence s need to be interpreted with caution.

KARL E MILLER, MD

Malinski MK et al. Alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease mortality in hypertensive men Arch Intern M March 22 2004;164:623-8

COPYRIGHT 2004 American Academy of Family Physicians

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