Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGL) are neuroendocrine tumors characterized by the excessive production of catecholamines. This study aims to describe the clinical characteristics of PPGL cases in Argentina over recent decades. A multicenter retrospective cross-sectional analysis was carried out using a database comprising both pediatric and adult patients with confirmed PPGL diagnoses based on pathological reports.
A cohort of 486 patients with PPGL was recruited. Women represent 58.4% of the patients, with a mean age of 38.3 years old at the time of diagnosis and 15.2% of the patients were under the age of 18. Hypertension, as well as classic signs and symptoms, were present in 80.9% of the patients. The adrenal incidentaloma, as a mode of presentation, increased in the last two decades rising from 3.9% (1953–2000) to 21.8% (2001–2022), p < 0.001.
Most tumors were located within the adrenal glands, accounting 83.0% of the cases, with bilateral occurrences noted in 20.0%. The median tumor size was 4.8 cm. Local recurrence and metastases were observed in 10.9% and 12.2%. Out of 412 patients, 87.0% exhibited urinary excretion elevation of catecholamines and/or their metabolites. Furthermore, 148 patients, representing 30.4% of the study population, displayed a distinct genetic profile indicative of hereditary syndromes. The distribution of hereditary syndromes revealed that MEN2, VHL, and PGL4 constituted the most prevalent syndromes.
This population-based study, spanning seven decades, offers valuable insights into the demographic and clinical characteristics of PPGL patients in Argentina.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of particular patient groups to SARS-CoV-2 infection, including those with cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and intestinal dysbiosis. COVID-19 affects the gut, suggesting diet and vitamin D3 supplementation may affect disease progression.
To evaluate levels of Ang II and Ang-(1–7), cytokine profile, and gut microbiota status in patients hospitalized for mild COVID-19 with a history of cardiovascular disease and treated with daily doses of vitamin D3.
We recruited 50 adult patients. We screened 50 adult patients and accessed pathophysiology study 22, randomized to daily oral doses of 10,000 IU vitamin D3 (n = 11) or placebo (n = 11). Plasma levels of Ang II and Ang-(1–7) were determined by radioimmunoassay, TMA and TMAO were measured by liquid chromatography and interleukins (ILs) 6, 8, 10 and TNF-α by ELISA.
The Ang-(1–7)/Ang II ratio, as an indirect measure of ACE2 enzymatic activity, increased in the vitamin D3 group (24 ± 5 pg/mL vs. 4.66 ± 2 pg/mL, p < 0.01). Also, in the vitamin D3-treated, there was a significant decline in inflammatory ILs and an increase in protective markers, such as a substantial reduction in TMAO (5 ± 2 μmoles/dL vs. 60 ± 10 μmoles/dL, p < 0.01). In addition, treated patients experienced less severity of infection, required less intensive care, had fewer days of hospitalization, and a reduced mortality rate. Additionally, improvements in markers of cardiovascular function were seen in the vitamin D3 group, including a tendency for reductions in blood pressure in hypertensive patients.
Vitamin D3 supplementation in patients with COVID-19 and specific conditions is associated with a more favourable prognosis, suggesting therapeutic potential in patients with comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease and gut dysbiosis.
Diuretics have been used for decades in the treatment of hypertension. Its efficacy has been demonstrated in numerous clinical trials. It is well known that the reduction in cardiovascular risk is a consequence of the reduction in blood pressure levels regardless of the drug used, but thiazide diuretics continue to be first-line drugs, especially in low doses and combined with other drugs. The debate on the advantages of using chlorthalidone or hydrochlorothiazide continues, however hydrochlorothiazide is drug most used and for which there is greater availability. The association with potassium-sparing diuretics increases the effectiveness and reduces the adverse reactions of thiazides. A new group of drugs, close to potassium-sparing diuretics, that antagonise aldosterone synthase are showing promising results as antihypertensives. There are no significant differences between men and women regarding the antihypertensive effect of thiazide diuretics.
This case report examines peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a rare variant of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, which manifests at the end of labor or puerperium. The frequency of this pathology varies globally, and its association with risk factors such as genetic disorders, autoimmune diseases, viral infections, suggests a multifactorial etiology. Diagnostic criteria include: Heart failure secondary to left ventricular systolic dysfunction, manifested in the puerperium or at the end of pregnancy and lack of other identifiable causes of heart failure. The case presents a patient with no significant personal pathological history, who, 17 days post cesarean section developed acute symptoms, including abdominal pain, dry cough and dyspnea. Clinical findings revealed hypoxemia, alterations in blood tests and an echocardiogram that confirmed an atrial septal defect. Multidisciplinary management resulted in successful treatment and the patient was discharged without complications.
This case highlights the importance of MCPP, a disease with high maternal mortality. The connection between atrial septal defect and PPCM, as well as the involvement of pulmonary thromboembolism.
Hypertension is one of the most powerful and modifiable risk factors for the development, progression and even decompensation of heart failure. Uncontrolled hypertension increases to frequency of heart failure hospitalizations by increase sympathetic tone. Catheter-based renal denervation has been shown to reduce blood pressure in the treatment of multidrug-resistant hypertension. We report the improvement in clinical status after renal denervation in a 47-year-old male patient with a history of hypertension, chronic ischemic heart failure, and recurrent hospitalizations for acute hypertensive pulmonary edema despite optimal medical therapy.
Although some studies have reported the association between uric acid (UA) and hypertension, evidence on prehypertension is still lacking. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the levels of UA and other cardiovascular markers among prehypertensive and hypertensive patients and assess their risk for developing arterial hypertension.
157 individuals were recruited: 67 normotensive, 23 pre-hypertensive and 67 hypertensive. Blood samples were collected to measure biochemical parameters and anthropometric measurements and blood pressure were evaluated. We calculated the product of lipid accumulation and the visceral adiposity index to assess cardiovascular risk.
Our data showed an increase in UA levels in normotensives (4.9 ± 1.3 mg/dL), prehypertensives (5.2 ± 1.3 mg/dL) and hypertensives (5.9 ± 1.6 mg/dL) (p = 0.004). We found a higher frequency of hyperuricemia in the hypertensive group (34.3%) than in the normotensive group (13.4%, p < 0.05). Hypertensive volunteers had lower levels of HDL-C (p = 0.004 and p = 0.003) and higher body mass indexes (p < 0.001 and p = 0.007), glucose (p < 0.001 and p = 0.033), triglycerides (p = 0.001 and p = 0.005), visceral adiposity index (p < 0.001 and p = 0.002) and lipid accumulation product (p < 0.001 and p = 0.007) than normotensive and prehypertensive participants. We also observed that individuals with UA ≥ 6.2 mg/dL had an increased risk of hypertension of 4.77 (p = 0.003) compared to individuals with levels ≤ 4.3 mg/dL.
Our results showed that UA is associated with increased blood pressure and unfavorable changes in anthropometric and biochemical parameters, which represent risk factors for hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.
The evaluation of blood pressure (BP) is essential in the acute phase of stroke. Although ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is a validated method for BP control, there are few studies assessing the usefulness of ABPM in the acute phase of stroke.
A systematic review was carried out according to the PRISMA criteria in the PubMed/Medline and Scopus databases. Those articles that analysed the use of ABPM in the first days after suffering a stroke from 1992 to 2022 were selected. Those articles focused on the post-acute or sequelae phase of the stroke, with a sample size of less than 20 and those where the primary objective was different from the defined one. A total of 28 articles were included.
The use of ABPM in patients with recent stroke demonstrates that the normal circadian profile of BP is altered in more than two-thirds of patients and that this will be fundamentally conditioned by the haemodynamic changes that occur on autoregulation of cerebral blood flow, the type of stroke or the response to treatment. Furthermore, these changes in BP have prognostic implications and are correlated with functional status, stroke recurrence and mortality, among others. However, although they continue to be a growing area of research, new studies are needed to clarify the real role of this technique in patients with acute stroke.
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