Estudios científicos

Alcohol consumption in young adults and incident hypertension: 20-year follow-up from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study

Abstract:

The relation between alcohol consumption and incident hypertension is unclear, and most observational studies have not accounted for socioeconomic factors. This study examined the association between alcohol consumption in a diverse group of young adults and incident hypertension over 20 years. Participants (n = 4,711) were from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study cohort, recruited in 1985 (aged 18-30 years) from Birmingham, Alabama; Chicago, Illinois; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Oakland, California. The 20-year incidence of hypertension for never, former, light, moderate, and at-risk drinkers was 25.1%, 31.8%, 20.9%, 22.2%, and 18.8%, respectively (P < 0.001). Race, gender, age, family history of hypertension, body mass index, income, education, and difficulty paying for basics and medical care were associated with hypertension. Adjustment using Cox proportional hazard models revealed no association between baseline alcohol consumption and incident hypertension, except among European-American women in whom any current alcohol consumption was associated with lower risk of incident hypertension. The lack of association between alcohol and hypertension in the majority of this socioeconomically diverse cohort is not definitive. Future studies should include social factors, such as income and education, and consider additional characteristics that may modify or confound associations between alcohol and blood pressure.

 

Comentarios divulgativos:

El consumo de bebidas alcohólicas frecuente, como se cree, aumenta el riesgo para la hipertensión, sin embargo, esto es confuso si contamos con factores socioeconómicos y educacionales así como características adicionales que pueden modificar la asociación entre el alcohol y la tensión arterial.
En un estudio longitudinal 4,711 participantes (de edad entre 18-30 años) de varias ciudades estadounidenses (Birmingham, Chicago, Minneapolis y Oakland) fueron seguidos durante 20 años.Teniendo en cuenta factores socioeconómicos, la hipertensión incidente durante este período de tiempo no reveló ninguna asociación con el consumo de alcohol de base, excepto entre mujeres europeas americanas donde el consumo de alcohol moderado fue asociado con un riesgo inferior de hipertensión incidente.