Association between changes in facial flushing and hypertension across drinking behavior patterns in South Korean adults

Heavy alcohol drinking has been reported to be associated with hypertension. Moreover, when drinking alcohol, individuals may experience symptoms such as facial flushing. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the association between changes in facial flushing and hypertension across different drinking behavior patterns in South Korean adults. Data from the Korea Community Health Survey conducted in 2019 were used, and 118 129 (51 047 men and 67 082 women) participants were included. The participants were divided into five groups based on the change in facial flushing (non-drinking, non-flushing to non-flushing, flushing to flushing, non-flushing to flushing, flushing to non-flushing). The risk of hypertension in each facial flushing group was analyzed by multiple logistic regression. Men in the non-flushing to flushing group had a significantly higher association with hypertension than other groups (men: odds ratio (OR) 1.42, confidence interval (CI) 1.14–1.76). According to the level of alcohol use disorder, the non-flushing to flushing group showed a significantly increased odds of hypertension compared to all levels of drinking (men: mild drinking: OR 1.95, CI 1.40–2.71; moderate drinking: OR 2.02, CI 1.41–2.90; women: moderate drinking: OR 1.71, CI 1.16–2.52; heavy drinking: OR 1.90, CI 1.19–3.04). This study found a significant association between changes in facial flushing and hypertension among adults in South Korea. In particular, individuals who changed from non-flushing to flushing reactions had an increased association with hypertension than the other groups. Compared to people at the same drinking level, people with non-flushing to flushing reactions were highly associated with hypertension at moderate drinking level.