Calcium and Alcohol-Associated Hypertension

Excerpt

To the editor: Among the conclusions that can be drawn about calcium and hypertension from the present data, Resnick (1) confirms that the clinical aspects of calcium metabolism appear to be linked with the pathophysiology of hypertension. He states that further investigation to define this linkage will improve our understanding of the hypertensive process and should be encouraged.

We describe some abnormalities of calcium metabolism in patients with alcohol-associated hypertension. It has been known for several years that alcohol intake and blood pressure are closely related. Alcohol-associated hypertension is a common problem in heavy drinkers. In a survey of nearly