title: [Chronic alcoholism and arterial hypertension. Contribution to the comprehension of the phenomenon and practical implications].
abstract: Alcohol abuse is a frequent contributor to elevated blood pressure. 710 chronic alcoholics, aged 26-60 years, admitted for detoxification were studied. We compared hypertension prevalence in alcoholics with that in a similar group of non-alcoholics matched for age, sex, and miscellaneous diseases. The prevalence of hypertension was higher in heavy drinkers (11.4%) than in non drinker subjects (3.4%). Abstinence from alcohol during hospitalization was followed by normalization of hypertensive status in a high percentage of patients (70%). The majority of hypertensive alcoholics (75%) developed target organ damage ranging from retinopathy to hypertensive cardiomyopathy and renal lesion. In a 4.6 +/- 2.8 years follow-up study of 42 hypertensive alcoholic subjects, we observed that hypertension was 26% in those who abstained alcohol ingestion versus 84% in those who remained actively alcoholics. Four patients died of liver failure and two of stroke.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Medicina, Ospedale, Gorgonzola.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Isa
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baldini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moriglioni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zaina
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bocchia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology*; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013695:Temperance
vernacular_title: Etilismo cronico ed ipertensione arteriosa. Contributo alla comprensione del fenomeno ed implicazioni pratiche.