Alcohol abuse: An under-estimated risk factor for hypertension. A review.

While the effects of alcohol on blood pressure have been widely investigated, this effect of alcohol is commonly underestimated in current clinical practice, since it is shadowed by the decreased vascular resistance in alcoholic cirrhosis. Thus. the most significant studies are reviewed here. Indeed, the potential mechanisms of alcohol-induced hypertension (sympathetic system activation, CHR release) are discussed, as well as the relationship between hypertension and alcohol withdrawal. The debated matter of the relationship between alcohol intake, heart diseases, stroke and hypertension is discussed, and a cautious approach is suggested, as the alleged protective effects of "safe" drinking on coronary heart disease may be counterbalanced by the induction of alcohol-dependence. Thus, drinking should not be suggested to abstinent people.