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Binge drinking in patients with hypertension associated with high risk for CV mortality
Sull JW. Stroke. 2010;doi:10.1161/strokeaha.110.586347.
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Older adult Koreans with hypertension and habits of binge drinking had a markedly higher risk for CV mortality, which was increased nearly threefold in those considered heavy binge drinkers.
Researchers conducted this study with residents (n=6,100) of Kangwha County, Korea, who were at least 55 years old as of March 1985. They followed participants for a maximum of 20.8 years until Dec. 31, 2005, and calculated HRs for CV mortality by BP and binge drinking habits. Binge drinking was defined as having at least six drinks on one occasion, and heavy binge drinking was defined as having at least 12 drinks on one occasion.
During follow-up, 759 patients died of CVD. Compared with nondrinkers with normal BP, male heavy binge drinkers with grade 3 hypertension had a 12-fold higher risk of CV mortality (HR=12.7; 95% CI, 3.47-46.5), whereas male binge drinkers with the same grade hypertension had a fourfold increased risk for CV mortality (HR=4.41; 95% CI, 1.38-14.1). Conversely, the separate effects on CV mortality risk for heavy binge drinking (HR=1.88; 95% CI, 1.10-3.20) and hypertension (HR=2.00; 95% CI, 1.70-2.35) when compared with nondrinkers with normal BP were considerably lower than when combined.
Limitations with this study, in particular the study population of people aged at least 55 years living in an agricultural community with a small population of female drinkers, led the researchers to propose that future studies examine the joint effects of hypertension and binge drinking in a population more inclusive of both genders.
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