Hypertension and chronic ethanol consumption: What do we know after a century of study?

The influences of life habits on the cardiovascularsystem may have important implications for publichealth, as cardiovascular diseases are among the lead-ing causes of shorter life expectancy worldwide. A linkbetween excessive ethyl alcohol(ethanol) consumptionand arterial hypertension was first suggested early lastcentury. Since then, this proposition has received con-siderable attention. Support for the concept of ethanolas a cause of hypertension derives from several epi-demiologic studies demonstrating that in the generalpopulation, increased blood pressure is significantlycorrelated with ethanol consumption. Although thelink between ethanol consumption and hypertension iswell established, the mechanism through which etha-nol increases blood pressure remains elusive. Possiblemechanisms underlying ethanol-induced hypertensionwere proposed based on clinical and experimental ob-servations. These mechanisms include an increase insympathetic nervous system activity, stimulation of therenin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, an increase of intracellular Ca2+ in vascular smooth muscle, increased oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction. The pres-ent report reviews the relationship between ethanol intake and hypertension and highlights some mecha-nisms underlying this response. These issues are of interest for the public health, as ethanol consumption contributes to blood pressure elevation in the population.