title: Binge drinking and blood pressure: cross-sectional results of the HAPIEE study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether binge drinking pattern influences blood pressure independently from drinking volume or whether it modifies the effect of volume of drinking.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used cross-sectional data from population samples of 7559 men and 7471 women aged 45-69 years in 2002-05, not on antihypertensive medication, from Russia, Poland and Czech Republic. Annual alcohol intake, drinking frequency and binge drinking (≥ 100 g in men and ≥ 60 g in women in one session at least once a month) were estimated from graduated frequency questionnaire. Blood pressure was analysed as continuous variables (systolic and diastolic pressure) and a binary outcome (≥ 140/90 mm Hg).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In men, annual alcohol intake and drinking frequency were strongly associated with blood pressure. The odds ratio of high blood pressure for binge drinking in men was 1.62 (95% CI 1.45-1.82) after controlling for age, country, body mass index, education and smoking; additional adjustment for annual alcohol intake reduced it to 1.20 (1.03-1.39). In women, the fully adjusted odds ratio of high blood pressure for binge drinking was 1.31 (1.05-1.63). Binge drinking did not modify the effect of annual alcohol intake. Consuming alcohol as wine, beer or spirits had similar effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that the independent long-term effect of binge drinking was modest, that binge drinking did not modify the effect of alcohol intake, and that different alcoholic beverages had similar effects on blood pressure.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pajak
authors.forename: Krystyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Szafraniec
authors.forename: Ruzena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kubinova
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Malyutina
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peasey
authors.forename: Hynek
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pikhart
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nikitin
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marmot
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bobak
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001628:Beverages; D063425:Binge Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018153:Czech Republic / Q000453:epidemiology; D003971:Diastole / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012426:Russia / Q000453:epidemiology; D013599:Systole / Q000502:physiology