Alcohol Consumption and Antihypertensive Treatment Effect in Male Patients With Hypertension

Abstract BACKGROUND Alcohol consumption is a proven risk factor of hypertension. In the present analysis, we investigated the use of antihypertensive medications and blood pressure control in male alcohol drinkers and non-drinkers with hypertension (systolic/diastolic blood pressure 160–199/100–119 mm Hg). METHODS The study participants were patients enrolled in a 12-week therapeutic study and treated with the irbesartan/hydrochlorothiazide combination 150/12.5 mg once daily, with the possible up-titration to 300/12.5 mg/day and 300/25 mg/day at 4 and 8 weeks of follow-up, respectively, for blood pressure control of <140/90 mm Hg or <130/80 mm Hg in patients with diabetes mellitus. Alcohol consumption was classified as non-drinkers and drinkers. RESULTS The 68 alcohol drinkers and 168 non-drinkers had similar systolic/diastolic blood pressure at baseline (160.8 ± 12.1/99.8 ± 8.6 vs. 161.8 ± 11.0/99.2 ± 8.6, P ≥ 0.55) and other characteristics except for current smoking (80.9% vs. 47.6%, P < 0.0001). In patients who completed the 12-week follow-up (n = 215), the use of higher dosages of antihypertensive drugs was similar at 4 weeks of follow-up in drinkers and non-drinkers (10.6% vs. 12.4%, P = 0.70), but increased to a significantly higher proportion in drinkers than non-drinkers at 12 weeks of follow-up (54.7% vs. 36.6%, P = 0.01). The control rate of hypertension tended to be lower in alcohol drinkers, compared with non-drinkers, at 4 weeks of follow-up (45.6% vs. 58.9%, P = 0.06), but became similar at 12 weeks of follow-up (51.5% vs. 54.8%, P = 0.65). CONCLUSION Alcohol drinkers compared with non-drinkers required a higher dosage of antihypertensive drug treatment to achieve similar blood pressure control. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY NUMBER NCT00670566 at www.clinicaltrials.gov.