Alcohol and the Heart

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Abstract
To evaluate the hemodynamic changes related to alcohol flush, the effects of ethanol intake (0.5 g/kg) were studied by echocardiography and systolic time intervals in 10 Finnish and 9 Japanese healthy volunteers. In 5 Japanese subjects, post‐drink facial flush was associated with elevated blood acetaldehyde (peak levels 20–83 μmol/l) and marked cardiocirculatory stimulation. Heart rate was increased directly post ingestion by 65% (pppppppp<0.005 for each of these variables). Thus, in Orientals with genetically defective acetaldehyde oxidation, ingestion of even small amounts of alcohol evokes intense enhancement of left ventricular function, probably because of acetaldehyde‐induced catecholamine release and peripheral vasodilation.