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Query: UMLS:C0020538 (hypertension)
 170,190 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Many medical conditions are caused or exacerbated by heavy drinking, necessitating alcohol screening and discussion in primary care practices. This is particularly true of hypertension, the most common primary diagnosis in the United States, which has been linked to the regular consumption of 3 or more standard alcoholic beverages a day. The Accelerating Alcohol Screening-Translating Research into Practice (AA-TRIP) project was designed to improve detection and management of alcohol problems in primary care patients with hypertension. Medical providers are being trained using the Practice Partner Research Network's- Translating Research into Practice (PPRNet-TRIP) quality improvement model. This includes a multi-method intervention (electronic medical records, on-site academic detailing, practice feedback reports and annual network meetings) to help practices increase adherence to clinical guidelines. Qualitative analyses of initial steps taken by nine primary care practices toward the routine implementation of alcohol screening guidelines are presented. Organizational factors and provider and patient characteristics all influenced the method and consistency of alcohol screening and intervention. Perceived time constraints, patient sensitivity to questions about alcohol, and possible stigma associated with a diagnosis of alcoholism were also relevant barriers requiring problem solving.
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PMID:Initial steps taken by nine primary care practices to implement alcohol screening guidelines with hypertensive patients: the AA-TRIP project. 1706 46

Disparities in associations of alcohol consumption to various cardiovascular conditions lead to separate consideration of several. These include (1) Alcoholic cardiomyopathy from chronic heavy drinking in susceptible persons. (2) Higher blood pressure (hypertension) in some heavier drinkers. (3) A relation of drinking to higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke but to lower risk of ischemic stroke. (4) Certain arrhythmias, especially among binge drinkers. (5) An inverse relation of alcohol use to coronary artery disease. A causal hypothesis of protection is strengthened by plausible mechanisms. The coronary disease data impact upon total mortality statistics, such that lighter drinkers are at slightly lower risk than abstainers of death within a given time period. (6) An inverse relation of drinking to type 2 (adult onset) diabetes mellitus in several recent studies. Because of close relations to cardiovascular disorders, diabetes is considered virtual cardiovascular "equivalent". (7) Composites of (1-6) result in a complex association between alcohol and the common heart failure syndrome. International comparisons suggest wine is more protective against coronary disease than liquor or beer. Reports of antioxidants, endothelial relaxants, and antithrombotic activity in wine (especially red) support hypothetical benefit from non-alcohol wine components. However, prospective population studies show apparent protection from beer, wine, or liquor. Thus, some suggest that favorable traits or drinking patterns of wine drinkers might explain the international comparison findings. Amount of alcohol taken is a crucial consideration in alcohol-health relations. Advice to concerned persons needs to take into account individual risk/benefit factors in drinkers or potential drinkers.
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PMID:Alcohol, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus. 1736 63

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasingly recognized not only as a cause of end-stage renal disease but also as a cause of cardiovascular disease. Importantly, it is intimately associated with non-healthy lifestyles such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, and heavy drinking. To define CKD direct measurement of GFR or estimation of GFR (eGFR) is required. Japan Society of Nephrology is asking nationwide project to create "original" equation without using ethnic factor to obtain eGFR. Early detection and early treatment are vital to prevent not only CKD progression but also cardiovascular events. A comprehensive health education campaign and screening of the general populace are needed in order to detect CKD early. The control of hypertension, dyslipidemia, proteinuria, obesity, are intervention strategies that retard or prevent progression of CKD. Blockade of the renin-angiotensin system can be beneficial, especially if proteinuria is present.
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PMID:[New concept of chronic kidney disease and blockade of renin-angiotensin system]. 1787 2

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between alcohol consumption and the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS), type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and overall cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a Mediterranean cohort. It consisted of a cross-sectional analysis of a representative sample of Greek adults (n = 4,153) classified as never, occasional, mild, moderate, or heavy drinkers. Cases with overt CHD, stroke, or PAD were recorded. In our population, 17% were never, 23% occasional, 27% mild, 24% moderate, and 9% heavy drinkers. Moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a lower trend for the prevalence of the MetS (P = .0001), DM (P < .0001), CHD (P = .0002), PAD (P = .005), and overall CVD (P = .001) but not stroke compared with no alcohol use. Heavy drinking was associated with an increase in the prevalence of all of these disease states. Wine consumption was associated with a slightly better effect than beer or spirits consumption on the prevalence of total CVD, and beer consumption was associated with a better effect than spirits consumption. Alcohol intake was positively related with body weight, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and hypertension. Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower prevalence of the MetS, DM, PAD, CHD, and overall CVD but not stroke compared with no alcohol use in a Mediterranean population. Heavy drinking was associated with an increase in the prevalence of all of these disease states. Advice on alcohol consumption should probably mainly aim at reducing heavy drinking.
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PMID:Association of drinking pattern and alcohol beverage type with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease in a Mediterranean cohort. 1821 78

The aim of the present review was to: (i) highlight epidemiological and other studies that have generated important data on the harmful patterns of drinking that increase the risk for chronic diseases, including alcohol dependence, and on the mechanisms by which alcohol produces and, in some instances, may protect against damage; and (ii) discuss a conceptual basis for quantifying risk criteria for alcohol-induced chronic disease based on the quantity, frequency, and pattern of drinking. The relationship between heavy drinking and risk for adverse health conditions such as alcoholic liver disease (ALD), dementia, and alcohol dependence is well known. However, not everyone who drinks chronically develops ALD or dementia, and the major risk factors for disease development and the mechanisms by which this occurs have remained unclear. Large-scale, general population-based studies have provided the evidence by which quantifying the frequency of a pattern of high-risk drinking can be related directly to risk and the severity of alcohol dependence. Cellular and molecular biology studies have identified the major pathways of alcohol metabolism and how genetics and the environment can interact in some individuals to further increase the risk of organ damage. Extant databases should allow scientists and clinicians jointly to develop the framework for quantifying the drinking patterns that increase the risk of alcohol-induced organ pathologies, to develop clinical practice guidelines, such as those used to diagnose other common complex diseases (e.g. diabetes and hypertension), and to propose future studies for refining such guidelines. Attention must be paid to comorbid conditions such as hepatitis B and C infections, HIV, obesity, and environmental exposures other than alcohol. Developing trait and state biomarkers is critical to the process of discovery and to fulfilling the promise of personalized medicine.
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PMID:Quantifying the risk for alcohol-use and alcohol-attributable health disorders: present findings and future research needs. 1833 58

Several observational follow-up studies about cardiovascular health have found an overlap between moderate drinking and lower mortality from coronary heart disease and other causes. However, such studies have serious methodological limitations. Most non-drinkers were in fact ex-drinkers, that is, people who had had to stop drinking for health reasons. Other variables that may play a decisive role in cardiovascular risk, such as tobacco smoking, exercise and body mass index, were not evaluated, and changes in drinking habits were not assessed periodically. Due to the methodological limitations of these studies, the findings suggest a statistical association but not a causality relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and lower risk of mortality. Furthermore, numerous studies have shown that excessive drinking can cause not only cardiovascular diseases--such as hypertension, arrhythmias, dilated cardiomyopathy and stroke--but also other medical and psychiatric disorders. Alcohol clearly has addictive properties that can contribute to the development of heavy drinking in some people, leading to alcohol-related physical and mental disorders. The public health message should emphasize the potential risk of heavy drinking rather than promote the possible benefits of moderate consumption. A simplistic message that alcohol is good for cardiovascular health may be prejudicial when stated outside the context of the possible adverse consequences of heavy drinking.
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PMID:Is alcohol really good for health? 1881 69

This study evaluated the impact of an integrated population health enhancement program on employee health risks, health conditions, and productivity. Specifically, we analyzed changes in these measures among a cohort of 543 employees who completed a health risk assessment in both 2003 and 2005. We compared these findings with 2 different sets of employees who were not offered health enhancement programming. We found that the DIRECTV cohort showed a significant reduction in health risks after exposure to the program. Relative to a matched comparison group, the proportion of low-risk employees at DIRECTV in 2005 was 8.2 percentage points higher; the proportion of medium-risk employees was 7.1 percentage points lower; and the proportion of high-risk employees was 1.1 percentage points lower (p < 0.001). The most noticeable changes in health risk were a reduction in the proportion of employees with high cholesterol; an improvement in diet; a reduction of heavy drinking; management of high blood pressure; improved stress management; increased exercise; fewer smokers; and a drop in obesity rates. We also found that a majority of employees who improved their risk levels from 2003 to 2005 maintained their gains in 2006. Employees who improved their risks levels also demonstrated relative improvement in absenteeism. Overall, this study provides additional evidence that integrated population health enhancement positively impacts employees' health risk and productivity; it also reinforces the view that "good health is good business."
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PMID:The impact of an integrated population health enhancement and disease management program on employee health risk, health conditions, and productivity. 1910 44

Most world populations consume alcoholic beverages. Ethanol may have both protective and harmful effects on health depending on the amount and way of consumption. An extensive body of data shows concordant J or U-shaped associations between alcohol intake and a variety of adverse health outcomes, including coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, congestive heart failure, stroke, and all-cause mortality. In particular, moderate ethanol consumption is associated with cardioprotective benefits such as lower cardiovascular risk and mortality, probably mediated by beneficial effects on inflammation, lipids, and coagulation. In contrast, binge and/or heavy drinking results in proportional worsening of outcomes, increasing cardiovascular events and mortality. This harmful effect has been recently associated with the blockade of ischemic preconditioning mediated by high doses of ethanol. In this review, we highlight the recent epidemiological and experimental evidences regarding the specific benefits and risks of ethanol in the setting of ischemic heart disease.
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PMID:[Association between ethanol intake and ischemic heart disease]. 1920 41

With respect to cardiovascular disorders, epidemiologic studies support the hypothesis of increased risks among heavy alcohol drinkers and indicate a lower risk among lighter drinkers. Increased cardiovascular risks of heavy drinking include cardiomyopathy, systemic hypertension, supraventricular arrhythmias, hemorrhagic stroke and heart failure that is not associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). Light-to-moderate drinking is probably unrelated to increased risk of any cardiovascular condition and is related to lower risks of CAD, ischemic stroke and CAD-related heart failure. A protective alcohol-CAD hypothesis is supported by plausible biological mechanisms attributable to ethyl alcohol. Possible nonalcohol beneficial components in wine (especially red) could explain the extra protection of wine, but a healthier pattern of drinking or more favorable risk traits in wine drinkers may also be involved. Advice regarding the advisability of alcohol drinking for health needs to be individualized according to specific risks and benefits.
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PMID:Alcohol and cardiovascular diseases. 1941 57

The substantial medical risks of heavy alcohol drinking as well as the probable existence of a less harmful or safe drinking limit have been evident for centuries. Modern epidemiology studies suggest lowered risk of morbidity and mortality among lighter drinkers. Thus, defining "heavy" drinking as > or =3 standard drinks per day, the alcohol-mortality relationship is a J-curve with risk highest for heavy drinkers, lowest for light drinkers and intermediate for abstainers. A number of non-cardiovascular and cardiovascular problems contribute to the increased mortality risk of heavier drinkers. The lower risk of light drinkers is due mostly to lower risk of the most common cardiovascular condition, coronary heart disease (CHD). These disparate relationships of alcoholic drinking to various cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular conditions constitute a modern concept of alcohol and health. Increased cardiovascular risks of heavy drinking include: (1) alcoholic cardiomyopathy, (2) systemic hypertension (high blood pressure), (3) heart rhythm disturbances, and (4) hemorrhagic stroke. Lighter drinking is not clearly related to increased risk of any cardiovascular condition and, in observational studies, is related to lower risk of CHD, ischemic stroke, and diabetes mellitus. A protective hypothesis for CHD is supported by evidence for plausible biological mechanisms attributable to ethyl alcohol. International comparisons and some prospective study data suggest that wine is more protective against CHD than liquor or beer. Possible non-alcohol beneficial components in wine (especially red) support possible extra protection by wine, but a healthier pattern of drinking or more favorable risk traits in wine drinkers may be involved.
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PMID:Alcohol and cardiovascular health. 2004 9


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