Acute effects of alcohol ingestion on blood pressure and erythrocyte sodium concentration.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the acute effects of alcohol on blood pressure and erythrocyte cation concentrations in patients with essential hypertension.


METHODS
An alcoholic drink or an isocaloric control drink was given during supper in random order on different days, and blood pressure and erythrocyte cation concentrations were measured before and 2 h after the meal.


METHODS
The subjects were 21 men with essential hypertension who habitually drank alcohol. Blood pressure was measured with a semi-automated sphygmomanometer, and erythrocyte cation concentrations were measured by flame photometry after haemolysis with distilled water.


RESULTS
Blood pressure decreased after both drinks, but the decrease was significantly larger after the alcoholic drink than after the control drink. There was a significant difference between the changes in erythrocyte sodium caused by the alcoholic and the control drink. Furthermore, there were significant positive correlations between the fall in blood pressures and the decrease in erythrocyte sodium concentration.


CONCLUSIONS
The predominant acute effect of alcohol ingestion in patients with hypertension is blood pressure reduction, and it may be associated with a decrease in intracellular sodium.
Department of Medicine, National Cardiovascular Center Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
S
S
Kojima
Y
Y
Kawano
H
H
Abe
T
T
Sanai
K
K
Yoshida
M
M
Imanishi
T
T
Ashida
G
G
Kimura
H
H
Yoshimi
H
H
Matsuoka
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012964:Sodium / Q000097:blood*
D000431:Ethanol; D012964:Sodium