Alcohol-associated hypertension when one drinksmakes a difference,”Hypertension

The high prevalence of systemic hypertension (HTN)and its progressive association with multiple adversesequelae1 confer great potential importance on any modifiable trait influencing blood pressure (BP). Established modifiable factors include obesity and sodium intake. Less solidly established are physical inactivity and low potassium or calcium intake. With a relationship to HTN seen nearly unanimously in a substantial number of observational cross-sectional and prospective studies, alcohol drinking has be-come a major focus of interest in recent decades as a modifiable HTN risk factor.2–3 Even low estimates of 5 % or 7 % of HTN attributable to alcohol imply that there are more patients with HTN caused by alcohol than by conventional causes of remediable secondary HTN.3 Present in both sexes and several ethnic groups, the alcohol–HTN association is independent of a number of potential confounders including nutritional factors.2–3 Avail