Association of alcohol consumption and blood pressure in some low socioeconomic groups from Andhra Pradesh, India.

The present paper examines the relationship of alcohol consumption with blood pressure (BP) levels and hypertension prevalence. Data on BP, alcohol consumption and anthropometry were obtained from a cross sectional sample of 1316 adult men and women of six low socioeconomic groups belonging to four different ethnic groups from Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Considerable proportions of respondents reported the consumption of alcohol. Some groups recorded higher levels of systolic and diastolic BP among alcohol drinkers than non-drinkers, and in others it was reverse. There was no uniform association between alcohol consumption and hypertension prevalence, though the combined data revealed a higher prevalence of hypertension among non-drinker men and drinker women. The present study population was a heterogeneous group in terms of alcohol consumption, and many of them were occasional drinkers. The study revealed no consistent association of alcohol consumption with blood pressure. The study opines that it is necessary to take measures to reduce the prevalence of alcohol consumption, as it was an underlying social problem and, though not directly associated with blood pressure; and alcohol consumption has been demonstrated as a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.