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(Hypertension. 1999;33:79-82.)
© 1999 American Heart Association, Inc.

Scientific Contributions

Binge Drinking and Ambulatory Blood Pressure

Kaija Seppä; Pekka Sillanaukee

From the Departments of Psychiatry (K.S.) and Clinical Chemistry (P.S.), Tampere University Hospital; the University of Tampere, Medical School, Department of General Practice, Tampere, Finland (K.S.); and Pharmacia & Upjohn Diagnostics AB, Alcohol Related Diseases, Uppsala, and the Karolinska Institute Medical School, Stockholm, Sweden (P.S.).

Correspondence to Professor Kaija Seppä, University of Tampere, Medical School, Teiskontie 35, FIN-33520 Tampere, Finland. E-mail mekase{at}uta.fi

Abstract—The effect of alcohol drinking in raising blood pressure (BP) is rapidly reversible. However, there is only limited information on the effect of binge drinking on BP values. In this study, 20 healthy men who were all social drinkers drank alcohol (2.2 g/kg) in controlled circumstances on a Saturday evening. Ambulatory BP measurement (ABPM) values were compared with ABPM values of the same subjects during the previous sober Saturday, separately throughout 6 hours of intoxication, throughout 6 hours when blood alcohol levels decreased, and throughout 6 hangover hours. During the intoxication period, both mean systolic BP and mean diastolic BP were 5 mm Hg higher (P=0.0183 and P=0.0529, respectively) and the pulse was 18 beats per minute faster (P=0.0001) compared with the corresponding sober period during the previous weekend. While blood alcohol levels decreased after drinking, mean systolic BP was 4 mm Hg lower (P=0.0331), diastolic BP was 5 mm Hg lower (P=0.0058), and pulse was 15 bpm faster (P=0.0001) than during the sober weekend. No statistically significant difference was found between the weekends in BP values during the hangover period. Drinking seems to increase both systolic and diastolic BP during intoxication but not during hangover. During the period when blood alcohol levels are decreasing, usually at night, both pressure levels fall to less than the basic level. These major and rapid changes in BP values might increase the likelihood of strokes, which are seen in increased numbers among young adults, especially during weekends and holidays.

Key Words: blood pressure monitoring, ambulatory • alcohol • binge drinking • blood pressure • pulse • stroke

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