Blood pressure reduction during treatment for alcohol dependence: results from the Combining Medications and Behavioral Interventions for Alcoholism (COMBINE) studyAddiction Volume 103 Issue 10, Pages 1622 - 1628
Heavy drinking is associated with hypertension. This study evaluated blood pressure changes occurring during treatment for alcohol dependence.
Blood pressure reduction was evident only in people who were above the median blood pressure at baseline. In this group, systolic blood pressure decreased by an average of 12 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure decreased by an average of 8 mmHg. Blood pressure reduction occurred during the first month of treatment. This effect was similar regardless of age, sex, body mass index, reported history of hypertension and use of anti-hypertensive medications. An observed association between blood pressure and PDD in Caucasians was not evident in African Americans due largely to their lower pre-treatment blood pressure.
Reduction in alcohol consumption has a potent anti-hypertensive effect in alcoholics with higher blood pressure. For hypertensive, alcohol-dependent people, treatment for alcoholism should be considered a major component of anti-hypertensive therapy.
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