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High Blood Pressure & Cardiovascular... Jul 2023Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are associated with increased risk of maternal, fetal, and neonatal morbidity and mortality. It is important to distinguish between... (Review)
Review
Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are associated with increased risk of maternal, fetal, and neonatal morbidity and mortality. It is important to distinguish between pre-existing (chronic) hypertension and gestational hypertension, developing after 20 weeks of gestation and usually resolving within 6 weeks postpartum. There is a consensus that systolic blood pressure ≥ 170 or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 110 mmHg is an emergency and hospitalization is indicated. The selection of the antihypertensive drug and its route of administration depend on the expected time of delivery. The current European guidelines recommend initiating drug treatment in pregnant women with persistent elevation of blood pressure ≥ 150/95 mmHg and at values > 140/90 mmHg in women with gestational hypertension (with or without proteinuria), with pre-existing hypertension with the superimposition of gestational hypertension, and with hypertension with subclinical organ damage or symptoms at any time during pregnancy. Methyldopa, labetalol, and calcium antagonists (the most data are available for nifedipine) are the drugs of choice. The results of the CHIPS and CHAP studies are likely to reduce the threshold for initiating treatment. Women with a history of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, particularly those with pre-eclampsia, are at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease later in life. Obstetric history should become a part of the cardiovascular risk assessment in women.
Topics: Infant, Newborn; Female; Pregnancy; Humans; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced; Hypertension; Pre-Eclampsia; Antihypertensive Agents; Blood Pressure; Labetalol
PubMed: 37308715
DOI: 10.1007/s40292-023-00582-5 -
Blood Pressure Dec 2023The current review is to describe the definition and prevalence of resistant arterial hypertension (RAH), the difference between refractory hypertension, patient... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
The current review is to describe the definition and prevalence of resistant arterial hypertension (RAH), the difference between refractory hypertension, patient characteristics and major risk factors for RAH, how RAH is diagnosed, prognosis and outcomes for patients.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
According to the WHO, approximately 1.28 billion adults aged 30-79 worldwide have arterial hypertension, and over 80% of them do not have blood pressure (BP) under control. RAH is defined as above-goal elevated BP despite the concurrent use of 3 or more classes of antihypertensive drugs, commonly including a long-acting calcium channel blocker, an inhibitor of the renin-angiotensin system (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker), and a thiazide diuretic administered at maximum or maximally tolerated doses and at appropriate dosing frequency. RAH occurs in nearly 1 of 6 hypertensive patients. It often remains unrecognised mainly because patients are not prescribed ≥3 drugs at maximal doses despite uncontrolled BP.
CONCLUSION
RAH distinctly increases the risk of developing coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke and chronic kidney disease and confers higher rates of major adverse cardiovascular events as well as increased all-cause mortality. Timely diagnosis and treatment of RAH may mitigate the associated risks and improve short and long-term prognosis.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Hypertension; Antihypertensive Agents; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Calcium Channel Blockers; Blood Pressure
PubMed: 36891929
DOI: 10.1080/08037051.2023.2185457 -
JAMA Dec 2023Dietary sodium recommendations are debated partly due to variable blood pressure (BP) response to sodium intake. Furthermore, the BP effect of dietary sodium among... (Clinical Trial)
Clinical Trial
IMPORTANCE
Dietary sodium recommendations are debated partly due to variable blood pressure (BP) response to sodium intake. Furthermore, the BP effect of dietary sodium among individuals taking antihypertensive medications is understudied.
OBJECTIVES
To examine the distribution of within-individual BP response to dietary sodium, the difference in BP between individuals allocated to consume a high- or low-sodium diet first, and whether these varied according to baseline BP and antihypertensive medication use.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
Prospectively allocated diet order with crossover in community-based participants enrolled between April 2021 and February 2023 in 2 US cities. A total of 213 individuals aged 50 to 75 years, including those with normotension (25%), controlled hypertension (20%), uncontrolled hypertension (31%), and untreated hypertension (25%), attended a baseline visit while consuming their usual diet, then completed 1-week high- and low-sodium diets.
INTERVENTION
High-sodium (approximately 2200 mg sodium added daily to usual diet) and low-sodium (approximately 500 mg daily total) diets.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Average 24-hour ambulatory systolic and diastolic BP, mean arterial pressure, and pulse pressure.
RESULTS
Among the 213 participants who completed both high- and low-sodium diet visits, the median age was 61 years, 65% were female and 64% were Black. While consuming usual, high-sodium, and low-sodium diets, participants' median systolic BP measures were 125, 126, and 119 mm Hg, respectively. The median within-individual change in mean arterial pressure between high- and low-sodium diets was 4 mm Hg (IQR, 0-8 mm Hg; P < .001), which did not significantly differ by hypertension status. Compared with the high-sodium diet, the low-sodium diet induced a decline in mean arterial pressure in 73.4% of individuals. The commonly used threshold of a 5 mm Hg or greater decline in mean arterial pressure between a high-sodium and a low-sodium diet classified 46% of individuals as "salt sensitive." At the end of the first dietary intervention week, the mean systolic BP difference between individuals allocated to a high-sodium vs a low-sodium diet was 8 mm Hg (95% CI, 4-11 mm Hg; P < .001), which was mostly similar across subgroups of age, sex, race, hypertension, baseline BP, diabetes, and body mass index. Adverse events were mild, reported by 9.9% and 8.0% of individuals while consuming the high- and low-sodium diets, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
Dietary sodium reduction significantly lowered BP in the majority of middle-aged to elderly adults. The decline in BP from a high- to low-sodium diet was independent of hypertension status and antihypertensive medication use, was generally consistent across subgroups, and did not result in excess adverse events.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04258332.
Topics: Aged; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Antihypertensive Agents; Blood Pressure; Cross-Over Studies; Diet, Sodium-Restricted; Hypertension; Sodium; Sodium Chloride, Dietary; Sodium, Dietary
PubMed: 37950918
DOI: 10.1001/jama.2023.23651 -
Journal of Human Hypertension Oct 2023Patients with hypertensive emergencies, malignant hypertension and acute severe hypertension are managed heterogeneously in clinical practice. Initiating... (Review)
Review
Patients with hypertensive emergencies, malignant hypertension and acute severe hypertension are managed heterogeneously in clinical practice. Initiating anti-hypertensive therapy and setting BP goal in acute settings requires important considerations which differ slightly across various diagnoses and clinical contexts. This position paper by British and Irish Hypertension Society, aims to provide clinicians a framework for diagnosing, evaluating, and managing patients with hypertensive crisis, based on the critical appraisal of available evidence and expert opinion.
Topics: Humans; Antihypertensive Agents; Hypertension; Hypertensive Encephalopathy; Hypertension, Malignant; Emergencies
PubMed: 36418425
DOI: 10.1038/s41371-022-00776-9 -
Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) Apr 2024Hypertension affects >1 billion people worldwide. Complications of hypertension include stroke, renal failure, cardiac hypertrophy, myocardial infarction, and cardiac... (Review)
Review
Hypertension affects >1 billion people worldwide. Complications of hypertension include stroke, renal failure, cardiac hypertrophy, myocardial infarction, and cardiac failure. Despite the development of various antihypertensive drugs, the number of people with uncontrolled hypertension continues to rise. While the lack of compliance associated with frequent side effects to medication is a contributory issue, there has been a failure to consider the diverse nature of hypertensive populations. Instead, we propose that hypertension can only be truly managed by precision. A precision medicine approach would consider each patient's unique factors. In this review, we discuss the progress toward precision medicine for hypertension with more predictiveness and individualization of treatment. We will highlight the advances in data science, omics (genomics, metabolomics, proteomics, etc), artificial intelligence, gene therapy, and gene editing and their application to precision hypertension.
Topics: Humans; Artificial Intelligence; Hypertension; Antihypertensive Agents; Genomics; Proteomics
PubMed: 38112080
DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.123.21710 -
Journal of Clinical Hypertension... Sep 2023Hypertension is the leading cause of death worldwide, affecting 1.4 billion people. Treatment options include the widely used calcium channel blockers, among which... (Review)
Review
Hypertension is the leading cause of death worldwide, affecting 1.4 billion people. Treatment options include the widely used calcium channel blockers, among which amlodipine, a dihydropyridine, has unique characteristics that distinguish it from other drugs within this class. This review aims to provide an updated overview of the evidence supporting the use of amlodipine over the past 30 years and highlights its cardiovascular benefits in current hypertension management. Amlodipine has low renal clearance (7 mL/min/mg) and long half-life (35-50 h) and duration of action, which allows it to sustain its anti-hypertensive effect for more than 24 h following a single dose. Additionally, blood pressure (BP) control is maintained even when a dose has been missed, providing continuous protection in case of incidental noncompliance. It has proven to reduce BP variability and successfully lower BP. Amlodipine also controls BP in patients with a systolic/diastolic BP of 130/80 mm Hg or higher, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease without worsening glycemic or kidney function. Additionally, amlodipine is a wise choice for older adults due to its ability to control BP and protect against stroke and myocardial infarction. Side effects of amlodipine include edema, palpitations, dizziness, and flushing, which are more common with the higher dose of 10 mg. Amlodipine is cost effective and predicted to be cost saving when compared with usual care.
Topics: Humans; Aged; Amlodipine; Hypertension; Antihypertensive Agents; Calcium Channel Blockers; Blood Pressure
PubMed: 37551050
DOI: 10.1111/jch.14709 -
JAMA Internal Medicine Jul 2023Asymptomatic blood pressure (BP) elevations are common in hospitalized older adults, and widespread heterogeneity in the clinical management of elevated inpatient BPs...
IMPORTANCE
Asymptomatic blood pressure (BP) elevations are common in hospitalized older adults, and widespread heterogeneity in the clinical management of elevated inpatient BPs exists.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the association of intensive treatment of elevated inpatient BPs with in-hospital clinical outcomes of older adults hospitalized for noncardiac conditions.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
This retrospective cohort study examined Veterans Health Administration data between October 1, 2015, and December 31, 2017, for patients aged 65 years or older hospitalized for noncardiovascular diagnoses and who experienced elevated BPs in the first 48 hours of hospitalization.
INTERVENTIONS
Intensive BP treatment following the first 48 hours of hospitalization, defined as receipt of intravenous antihypertensives or oral classes not used prior to admission.
MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES
The primary outcome was a composite of inpatient mortality, intensive care unit transfer, stroke, acute kidney injury, B-type natriuretic peptide elevation, and troponin elevation. Data were analyzed between October 1, 2021, and January 10, 2023, with propensity score overlap weighting used to adjust for confounding between those who did and did not receive early intensive treatment.
RESULTS
Among 66 140 included patients (mean [SD] age, 74.4 [8.1] years; 97.5% male and 2.6% female; 17.4% Black, 1.7% Hispanic, and 75.9% White), 14 084 (21.3%) received intensive BP treatment in the first 48 hours of hospitalization. Patients who received early intensive treatment vs those who did not continued to receive a greater number of additional antihypertensives during the remainder of their hospitalization (mean additional doses, 6.1 [95% CI, 5.8-6.4] vs 1.6 [95% CI, 1.5-1.8], respectively). Intensive treatment was associated with a greater risk of the primary composite outcome (1220 [8.7%] vs 3570 [6.9%]; weighted odds ratio [OR], 1.28; 95% CI, 1.18-1.39), with the highest risk among patients receiving intravenous antihypertensives (weighted OR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.65-2.19). Intensively treated patients were more likely to experience each component of the composite outcome except for stroke and mortality. Findings were consistent across subgroups stratified by age, frailty, preadmission BP, early hospitalization BP, and cardiovascular disease history.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
The study's findings indicate that among hospitalized older adults with elevated BPs, intensive pharmacologic antihypertensive treatment was associated with a greater risk of adverse events. These findings do not support the treatment of elevated inpatient BPs without evidence of end organ damage, and they highlight the need for randomized clinical trials of inpatient BP treatment targets.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Aged; Antihypertensive Agents; Blood Pressure; Inpatients; Retrospective Studies; Hospitalization; Stroke
PubMed: 37252732
DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.1667 -
Kidney360 Oct 2023Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy complicate up to 10% of pregnancies and remain the major cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Hypertensive... (Review)
Review
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy complicate up to 10% of pregnancies and remain the major cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy can be classified into four groups depending on the onset of hypertension and the presence of target organ involvement: chronic hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, and superimposed preeclampsia on chronic hypertension. Hypertension during pregnancy is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and kidney failure. Early diagnosis and proper treatment for pregnant women with hypertension remain a priority since this leads to improved maternal and fetal outcomes. Labetalol, nifedipine, methyldopa, and hydralazine are the preferred medications to treat hypertension during pregnancy. In this comprehensive review, we discuss the diagnostic criteria, evaluation, and management of pregnant women with hypertension.
Topics: Infant, Newborn; Female; Pregnancy; Humans; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced; Pre-Eclampsia; Antihypertensive Agents; Labetalol; Nifedipine
PubMed: 37526641
DOI: 10.34067/KID.0000000000000228 -
Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation :... Nov 2023Hypertension is very common and remains often poorly controlled in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Accurate blood pressure (BP) measurement is the essential... (Review)
Review
Hypertension is very common and remains often poorly controlled in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Accurate blood pressure (BP) measurement is the essential first step in the diagnosis and management of hypertension. Dietary sodium restriction is often overlooked, but can improve BP control, especially among patients treated with an agent to block the renin-angiotensin system. In the presence of very high albuminuria, international guidelines consistently and strongly recommend the use of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker as the antihypertensive agent of first choice. Long-acting dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers and diuretics are reasonable second- and third-line therapeutic options. For patients with treatment-resistant hypertension, guidelines recommend the addition of spironolactone to the baseline antihypertensive regimen. However, the associated risk of hyperkalemia restricts the broad utilization of spironolactone in patients with moderate-to-advanced CKD. Evidence from the CLICK (Chlorthalidone in Chronic Kidney Disease) trial indicates that the thiazide-like diuretic chlorthalidone is effective and serves as an alternative therapeutic opportunity for patients with stage 4 CKD and uncontrolled hypertension, including those with treatment-resistant hypertension. Chlorthalidone can also mitigate the risk of hyperkalemia to enable the concomitant use of spironolactone, but this combination requires careful monitoring of BP and kidney function for the prevention of adverse events. Emerging agents, such as the non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist ocedurenone, dual endothelin receptor antagonist aprocitentan and the aldosterone synthase inhibitor baxdrostat offer novel targets and strategies to control BP better. Larger and longer term clinical trials are needed to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of these novel therapies in the future. In this article, we review the current standards of treatment and discuss novel developments in pathophysiology, diagnosis, outcome prediction and management of hypertension in patients with CKD.
Topics: Humans; Spironolactone; Hyperkalemia; Chlorthalidone; Hypertension; Antihypertensive Agents; Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic; Blood Pressure
PubMed: 37355779
DOI: 10.1093/ndt/gfad118 -
JAMA Sep 2023Optimal blood pressure (BP) control after successful reperfusion with endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for patients with acute ischemic stroke is unclear. (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Randomized Controlled Trial
IMPORTANCE
Optimal blood pressure (BP) control after successful reperfusion with endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for patients with acute ischemic stroke is unclear.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether intensive BP management during the first 24 hours after successful reperfusion leads to better clinical outcomes than conventional BP management in patients who underwent EVT.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
Multicenter, randomized, open-label trial with a blinded end-point evaluation, conducted across 19 stroke centers in South Korea from June 2020 to November 2022 (final follow-up, March 8, 2023). It included 306 patients with large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke treated with EVT and with a modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score of 2b or greater (partial or complete reperfusion).
INTERVENTIONS
Participants were randomly assigned to receive intensive BP management (systolic BP target <140 mm Hg; n = 155) or conventional management (systolic BP target 140-180 mm Hg; n = 150) for 24 hours after enrollment.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The primary outcome was functional independence at 3 months (modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2). The primary safety outcomes were symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage within 36 hours and death related to the index stroke within 3 months.
RESULTS
The trial was terminated early based on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring board, which noted safety concerns. Among 306 randomized patients, 305 were confirmed eligible and 302 (99.0%) completed the trial (mean age, 73.0 years; 122 women [40.4%]). The intensive management group had a lower proportion achieving functional independence (39.4%) than the conventional management group (54.4%), with a significant risk difference (-15.1% [95% CI, -26.2% to -3.9%]) and adjusted odds ratio (0.56 [95% CI, 0.33-0.96]; P = .03). Rates of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage were 9.0% in the intensive group and 8.1% in the conventional group (risk difference, 1.0% [95% CI, -5.3% to 7.3%]; adjusted odds ratio, 1.10 [95% CI, 0.48-2.53]; P = .82). Death related to the index stroke within 3 months occurred in 7.7% of the intensive group and 5.4% of the conventional group (risk difference, 2.3% [95% CI, -3.3% to 7.9%]; adjusted odds ratio, 1.73 [95% CI, 0.61-4.92]; P = .31).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
Among patients who achieved successful reperfusion with EVT for acute ischemic stroke with large vessel occlusion, intensive BP management for 24 hours led to a lower likelihood of functional independence at 3 months compared with conventional BP management. These results suggest that intensive BP management should be avoided after successful EVT in acute ischemic stroke.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04205305.
Topics: Aged; Female; Humans; Blood Pressure; Cerebral Hemorrhage; Ischemic Stroke; Stroke; Thrombectomy; Endovascular Procedures; Acute Disease; Treatment Outcome; Male; Functional Status; Antihypertensive Agents
PubMed: 37668619
DOI: 10.1001/jama.2023.14590