Journal of Hypertension最新文献

Objective: Blood pressure (BP) phenotypes and day-night variability have been associated with acute ischemic stroke (AISTR). The aim of this study was to analyze the BP phenotypes and day-night variability during the first 3 days of an AISTR and their correlation with 10-year cardiovascular death (CVD).

Methods: Eighty-five volunteers (49.9% men, 77.3 ± 6 years), diagnosed for AISTR, were included in the study. Twenty-four hour ABPM was performed during the first 3 days of AISTR symptoms. A follow-up visit was performed through phone call, 10 years after the AISTR event.

Results: There is a reproducible nocturnal circadiac rhythm, with the nondipping status to be the most prevalent (89.3%, 89.2%, 88.3% for Days 1, 2, 3 accordingly, P > 0.05), compared to dipping status (P < 0.05), but not a reproducible BP phenotype, except the hypertensive one (50%, 45.8%, 51.6% for Days 1, 2 and 3 accordingly, P > 0.05). The mean follow-up was 509.6 ± 10 weeks. 37.1% had died (41.2% from MACE). Cox regression analysis revealed that age [odds ratio (OR):1.15, confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.17, P < 0.05], sex (male, OR: 1.92, CI: 1.07-3.82, P < 0.05), diabetes mellitus (OR: 1.55, CI: 1.06-3.14, P < 0.05), early vascular ageing (OR: 2.01, CI: 1.19-3.74, P < 0.05), transient ischemic attack (OR: 2.32, CI: 1.02-5.34, P < 0.05), sustained hypertension (OR: 2.78, CI: 1.13-6.83, P < 0.05), day-night SBP ratio (OR: 0.98, CI: 0.96-0.99, P < 0.05) and day-night DBP ratio (OR: 0.96, CI: 0.94-0.99, P < 0.05) were significant predictors for CVD.

Conclusion: Hence, patients with AISTR present a reproducible nocturnal circadian rhythm, but not a reproducible BP phenotype, except sustained hypertension. These parameters found also to be determinants for 10-year CVD.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of central pulse pressure (PP) in carotid wall thickening and coronary artery calcification (CAC).

Methods: In an asymptomatic general population (N = 396, 163 men, 47-89 years), central PP was measured by applanation tonometry, CAC by computed tomography, and common carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT), pulse wave velocity (cPWV) and the power of the signal reflected from carotid media (cMP) by radiofrequency-based carotid ultrasound. High cIMT was defined as cIMT equal to or greater than the 75th percentile for given sex and age, and CAC presence as a CAC score greater than 0.

Results: In the entire population, luminal diameter and cMP increased with increasing central PP (r = 0.32 and 0.25; P < 0.0001). One hundred and ninety-seven individuals had high cIMT; individuals with high cIMT had higher central PP, luminal diameter, cMP and cPWV (P = or <0.0001), but comparable wall tensile stress (P = 0.23). In a logistic regression model, high cIMT was independently associated with luminal diameter and central PP. One hundred and fifty-two individuals had CAC score greater than 0; in a logistic regression model, CAC score greater than 0 was independently associated with sex, age, central PP, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and T2DM.

Conclusion: Our findings indicate that high central PP contributes both to an increase in cIMT and the development of CAC. However, while central PP was the only risk factor linked to high cIMT, multiple atherosclerotic risk factors were associated with CAC. Therefore, both high cIMT and CAC reflect the adverse impact of high pulsatile load on the vascular system, yet only CAC can be considered a marker of atherosclerosis.

Background: The value of the association of arterial stiffness with left ventricular concentric remodelling/left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) assessed by echocardiography, for prediction of masked hypertension defined by office and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in the general population is largely undefined. We investigated this topic in the participants to the Pressioni Monitorate E Loro Associazioni (PAMELA) study.

Methods: The study included 272 participants (153 normotensives and 119 with masked hypertension) who attended the second and third survey of the PAMELA study performed after 10 and 25 years from the initial evaluation. Data collection included medical history, physical examination, blood tests, office, ABPM, echocardiographic and Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index (CAVI) measurements.

Results: Compared to normotensive individuals, participants with masked hypertension were younger, had significantly higher office, home, mean 24-h, day-time, night-time SBP/DBP and heart rate. The likelihood of having masked hypertension, was approximately more than two-fold higher [odds ratio (OR) = 2.29, confidence interval (CI): 1.01-5.31, P = 0.04] in participants with increased CAVI and left ventricular remodelling/LVH compared to their counterparts without organ damage. This association showed a unique value in identifying masked hypertension compared to both isolated markers of organ damage (OR = 1.69, P = 0.15 for increased CAVI and OR = 0.82, P = 0.80 for left ventricular remodelling/LVH), after adjusting for age, sex, office SBP/DBP, antihypertensive treatment and diabetes.

Conclusion: The present study offers a new piece of evidence of the key value of looking for both vascular and cardiac organ damage to unmask MH and improve its clinical management in the general population.

Many studies have shown the utility and promise of artificial intelligence (AI), for the diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). The aim of the present study was to conduct a meta-analysis to compare the accuracy of AI tools to electrocardiographic criteria, including Sokolow-Lyon and the Cornell, most commonly used for the detection of LVH in clinical practice. Nine studies meeting the inclusion criteria were selected, comprising a sample size of 31 657 patients in the testing and 100 271 in the training datasets. Meta-analysis was performed using a hierarchal model, calculating the pooled sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, along with the 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). To ensure that the results were not skewed by one particular study, a sensitivity analysis using the 'leave-out-one approach' was adopted for all three outcomes. AI was associated with greater pooled estimates; accuracy, 80.50 (95% CI: 80.4-80.60), sensitivity, 89.29 (95% CI: 89.25-89.33) and specificity, 93.32 (95% CI: 93.26-93.38). Adjusting for weightage of individual studies on the outcomes, the results showed that while accuracy and specificity were unchanged, the adjusted pooled sensitivity was 53.16 (95% CI: 52.92-53.40). AI demonstrates higher diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity compared with conventional ECG criteria for LVH detection. AI holds promise as a reliable and efficient tool for the accurate detection of LVH in diverse populations. Further studies are needed to test AI models in hypertensive populations, particularly in low resource settings.

Renal artery stenosis (RAS) can be described as a narrowed vessel lumen at least 60% which hemodynamic significance may be subsequently confirmed by the pressure gradient measuring with endovascular methods. Frequency with which a disease appears in a population is 5-10% and its dominant cause is the occurrence of atherosclerotic plaque. Infrequent causes include fibromuscular dysplasia and vasculitis such as Takayasu arteritis. Diagnostic gold standard of RAS is digital subtraction angiography (DSA) with pressure measurements. Nevertheless, Doppler ultrasonography (DUS), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and computed tomography angiography (CTA) may also play a key role during diagnostics process. Revascularization of narrowed or occluded vessel consists of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) with balloon, drug-coated balloon or stent implantation. Surgical procedures are rare and dedicated only to treatment-resistant cases. We reported a 19-year-old patient with resistant arterial hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy and stenosis of the proximal segment of the right renal artery, confirmed in angio-CT examination. Subsequent follow-up endovascular diagnostic procedure after 12 months revealed complete occlusion of renal artery with angiographic features of chronic total occlusion (CTO). Additionally, laboratory tests showed increase of creatinine level, with an estimated eGFR of 32.9 ml/min/1.73 m2. Considering the whole case - history of fibromuscular dysplasia, deterioration of renal function and the presence of resistant hypertension in a young patient - the invasive treatment was decided. Revascularization with paclitaxel-coated balloon was performed leading to renal perfusion improvement and normalization of the creatinine level. The patient was discharged from hospital with significantly reduced doses of antihypertensive drugs. There are few publications on opening CTOs of renal arteries. The method is rarely used and research in this field should be extended. While routine revascularization is not recommended, in some cases, we should take under consideration that early restoration of normal renal perfusion can bring benefits to the patient both clinical and related to the number of drugs taken and quality of life.