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Alcohol ingestion lowers supine blood pressure, causes splanchnic vasodilatation and worsens postural hypotension in primary autonomic failure

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Abstract

Patients with pure autonomic failure (PAF) and multiple system atrophy (MSA) may complain of feeling lightheaded after alcohol ingestion particularly on assumption of the upright posture. The reasons for this have not been investigated. We therefore studied the effects of oral alcohol (40% vodka in sugar-free orange juice) and placebo (juice only) on the systemic and regional (including superior mesenteric artery, SMA) blood flow in nine patients with PAF and six patients with MSA. After alcohol, there was a fall in supine blood pressure (BP) and vasodilatation in the SMA but no change in cardiac output, or forearm muscle and cutaneous blood flow in either PAF or MSA; BP fell further during head-up tilt with no changes in levels of plasma catecholamines. After placebo, there were no changes while supine. We conclude that alcohol lowers supine BP and dilates the SMA with no change in muscle or cutaneous blood flow. Alcohol also enhances the fall in BP during head-up tilt. This may explain the symptoms experienced by PAF and MSA patients after alcohol.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Neurology and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, The Autonomic Unit, University Department of Clinical Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK

    K. Ray Chaudhuri, S. Maule, T. Thomaides, D. Pavitt & C. J. Mathias

  2. The Cardiovascular Medicine Unit, Department of Medicine, St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK

    K. Ray Chaudhuri, S. Maule, T. Thomaides, D. Pavitt & C. J. Mathias

Authors
  1. K. Ray Chaudhuri
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  2. S. Maule
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  3. T. Thomaides
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  4. D. Pavitt
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  5. C. J. Mathias
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Chaudhuri, K.R., Maule, S., Thomaides, T. et al. Alcohol ingestion lowers supine blood pressure, causes splanchnic vasodilatation and worsens postural hypotension in primary autonomic failure. J Neurol 241, 145–152 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00868341

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00868341

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