Binge Drinking Increases Risk of Heart-Related Deaths among Men with Hypertension
For men with hypertension--or high blood pressure--binge drinking can pose a serious risk for stroke and heart-related fatalities, according to a new study.
Researchers from South Korea investigated the combined effects of binge drinking with hypertension on an individual’s risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Using a cohort sample of 6,100 South Korean residents aged 55 or older since 1985, lead researcher Dr. Heechoul Ohrr from the Department of Preventive Medicine at Yonsei University College of Medicine and colleagues measured individuals’ risk of cardiovascular mortality for up to 21 years. The researchers measured the prevalence of high blood pressure and binge drinking behavior among the study’s participants. Participants’ level of binge drinking was scaled between 6 or more drinks on one occasion (classified as binge drinkers) to 12 or more drinks on one occasion (heavy binge drinkers).
As a result of their measurements, researchers found that male binge drinkers with Grade 3 hypertension (having blood pressure of at least 168/100 millimeters of mercury) had a fourfold risk of cardiovascular death than non-drinkers with normal blood pressure. Men who were classified as heavy binge drinkers were found to have twelve times the risk of cardiovascular death than healthy adults. Overall, the combination of hypertension and binge drinking had a three-fold increased risk among participants.
In the study, 15% of men reported that they were moderate binge drinkers. Another 3% of men reported that they were heavy binge drinkers. Because less than 1% of women were classified as binge drinkers, not enough data was available on this group to make solid conclusions on their drinking behavior and heart risks. Although these results were prevalent among the agricultural residents of the South Korean sample, the researchers caution that more research is needed to confirm the relationship between hypertension combined with binge drinking and cardiovascular mortality among general populations. The study is one of the first of its kind to examine hypertension and binge drinking’s hazardous risks on cardiovascular disease.
Binge drinking alone can pose serious health risks to individuals of all ages, such as alcohol poisoning, respiratory depression, and cardiovascular depression. Individuals with added health problems like hypertension are at an increased risk of cardiovascular failure and death if they engage in dangerous binge drinking behavior. The researchers’ study was published in the August issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Source: Medical News Today, Binge Drinking Increases Death Risk In Men With High Blood Pressure
