The role of alcohol in hypertension.

The association between alcohol and hypertension was first described by Lian in 1915. He found that the prevalence of hypertension was high in heavy drinkers. However, this association did not receive much attention until the past 20 years. In this relatively short time, several epidemiological and a few clinical studies have been performed to investigate this association. In this article, the various studies are discussed, with a review of the possible mechanisms and a discussion of the importance of this association.