[Systemic arterial hypertension in chronic alcoholics. Role of the abstinence syndrome]. / L'ipertensione arteriosa sistemica negli alcoolisti cronici. Ruolo della sindrome astinenziale.

A significantly positive association (p less than 0.001) has been shown between so called "minor" ethanol withdrawal-syndrome and raised systolic and diastolic blood pressure values in 328 hospitalized chronic alcoholics. In a subgroup of patients with clinical and histological findings of alcoholic hepatic cirrhosis, this association was absent (p greater than 0.5). In chronic alcoholics with several hospital admissions, a nearly constant relationship of "minor" ethanol withdrawal-syndrome to systolic and diastolic hypertension has been shown. Mild or early abstinence states in alcoholics - which may pass off undetected or misinterpreted in outpatient clinic examination - are possibly responsible for the positive association between hypertension and alcoholism reported by others in several epidemiologic studies. Therefore, high blood pressure values in a chronic alcoholic patient - even if detected on several occasions - need special clinical considerations and we think they do not mean alcohol-induced hypertension. From another point of view, high blood pressure values may give a hint for detection of hidden alcoholism.