[Alcohol consumption, arterial pressure and metabolic parameters in a population of borderline hypertension subjects. The results of the HARVEST Multicenter Study. Hypertension and Ambulatory Recording Venetia Study].

In 544 borderline to mild hypertensive subjects (mean age 33.5 +/- 8.6 years) participating in the HARVEST trial the relationship between alcohol consumption, blood pressure levels and several clinical parameters was examined. Subjects were divided into 3 groups according to whether they did not drink (Group 1, n = 171) or their daily alcohol intake was < 50 g (Group 2, n = 184) or > 50 g (Group 3, n = 54). In the 409 men alcohol consumption was related to age (p < 0.0001), body weight (p < 0.05) and coffee consumption (p < 0.0001). Group 3 drinkers were also more sedentary than the 2 other groups (p < 0.05). Both office (p < 0.001) and 24-hour (p < 0.001) diastolic blood pressure were greater in the drinkers than in the non drinkers, while no difference was observed in systolic blood pressure. Twenty-four-hour heart rate was higher in Group 3, but urinary catecholamines were similar in the 3 groups of men. Blood glucose (p < 0.001), total cholesterol (p = 0.001) and triglyceride (p < 0.005) were related to alcohol consumption, while HDL-cholesterol was not different in the 3 groups. Albumin excretion rate and uricemia were also unrelated to alcohol intake. In the 135 women a similar alcohol-related trend was observed for office diastolic blood pressure and for the metabolic parameters. In conclusion, the results of the present study confirm the association between alcohol consumption and blood pressure levels, which was apparent also within a population of borderline to mild hypertensive subjects and stress the role of alcohol in determining an abnormality of the metabolic parameters.