PLoS ONE (Jan 2013)

Binge drinking and blood pressure: cross-sectional results of the HAPIEE study.

  • Andrzej Pajak,
  • Krystyna Szafraniec,
  • Ruzena Kubinova,
  • Sofia Malyutina,
  • Anne Peasey,
  • Hynek Pikhart,
  • Yuri Nikitin,
  • Michael Marmot,
  • Martin Bobak

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0065856
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 6
p. e65856

Abstract

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ObjectivesTo investigate whether binge drinking pattern influences blood pressure independently from drinking volume or whether it modifies the effect of volume of drinking.MethodsWe 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).ResultsIn 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.ConclusionsThe 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.