Healthy overweight and obesity in the young: Prevalence and risk of major adverse cardiovascular events.

AIMS: To investigate the prevalence of metabolically healthy overweight/obesity and to study its longitudinal association with major adverse cardiovascular and renal events (MARCE). METHODS AND RESULTS: The study was conducted in 1210 young-to-middle-age subjects grouped according to their BMI and metabolic status. The risk of MARCE was evaluated during 17.4 years of follow-up. Forty-eight-percent of the participants had normal weight, 41.9% had overweight, and 9.3% had obesity. Metabolically healthy status was found in 31.1% of subjects with normal weight and in 20.0% of those with overweight/obesity. During the follow-up, there were 108 MARCE. In multivariate Cox analysis adjusted for confounders and risk factors, no association was found between MARCE and overweight/obesity (p = 0.49). In contrast, metabolic status considered as a two-class variable (0 versus at least one metabolic abnormality) was a significant predictor of MARCE (HR, 2.11; 95%CI, 1.21-3.70, p = 0.009). Exclusion of atrial fibrillation from MARCE (N = 87) provided similar results (HR, 2.11; 95%CI, 1.07-4.16, p = 0.030). Inclusion of average 24 h BP in the regression model attenuated the strength of the associations. Compared to the group with healthy metabolic status, the metabolically unhealthy overweight/obesity participants had an increased risk of MARCE with an adjusted HR of 2.33 (95%CI, 1.05-5.19, p = 0.038). Among the metabolically healthy individuals, the CV risk did not differ according to BMI group (p = 0.53). CONCLUSION: The present data show that the risk of MARCE is not increased in young metabolically healthy overweight/obesity suggesting that the clinical approach to people with high BMI should focus on parameters of metabolic health rather than on BMI.

Exaggerated blood pressure response to standing in young-to-middle-age subjects: prevalence and factors involved.

PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence of orthostatic hypertension and the association of the blood pressure (BP) level, supine BP decline, and white-coat effect with the orthostatic pressor response. METHODS: We studied 1275 young-to-middle-age individuals with stage-1 hypertension. Orthostatic response was assessed three times over a 3 month period. The white-coat effect was assessed at baseline and after 3 months, and was calculated as the difference between office and average 24 h BP. In 660 participants, urinary epinephrine and norepinephrine were also measured. RESULTS: An orthostatic systolic BP increase ≥ 20 mmHg was observed in 0.6-1.2% of the subjects during the three visits. Using the 20 mmHg cut-off, the prevalence of orthostatic hypertension was 0.6%. An orthostatic BP increase of ≥ 5 mmHg was found in 14.4% of participants. At baseline, the orthostatic response to standing showed an independent negative association with the supine BP level (p < 0.001), the supine BP change from the first to third measurement (p < 0.001), and the white-coat effect (p < 0.001). Similar results were obtained in the 1080 participants assessed at the third visit. Urinary epinephrine showed higher values in the top BP response decile (systolic BP increase ≥ 6 mmHg, p = 0.002 versus rest of the group). CONCLUSION: An orthostatic systolic BP reaction ≥ 20 mmHg is rare in young adults. However, even lower BP increases may be clinically relevant. The BP level, the supine BP decline over repeated measurement, and the white-coat effect can influence the estimate of the BP response to standing and should be considered in clinical and pathogenetic studies.

Accuracy of home blood pressure measurement: the ACCURAPRESS study - a proposal of Young Investigator Group of the Italian Hypertension Society (Società Italiana dell'Ipertensione Arteriosa).

PURPOSE: Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) might be considered a valid alternative to ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) for both the diagnosis and management of hypertension. Correct information on how to perform HBPM are crucial for its reliability. The aim of the present survey was to assess if hypertensive patients followed current recommendation on how to correctly perform HBPM measurements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The survey included 30 different items on how to perform the HBPM. It was developed by the 'Young Investigators' group of the Italian Society of Arterial Hypertension (SIIA) and it was administered during the office visit between May 2019 and December 2021. RESULTS: A total of 643 hypertensive patients participated in the study. Main results show that, despite the rate of informed patients was relatively high (71% of the whole population), unacceptable number of patients did not follow indications on how to perform a correct HBPM. Patients who were informed on how to measure home BP had a significantly higher rate of correct position during measurement (78 vs. 22%, p < 0.01), avoidance of talking and moving during measurement (68 vs. 32%, p < 0.0001), and correct number and time interval between two measurements (85 vs. 15%, p < 0.001). More accurate measurements of home BP were associated with less prevalence of carotid plaque. CONCLUSIONS: Correct performance for HBPM is low among patients treated in Italian hypertension centers. These findings shed light on the importance of correct HBPM measurements for the detection of accurate BP values for the proper management of hypertensive patients.

Effect of the shape of the cuff on blood pressure measurement in people with large arms.

Purpose: Previous data suggest that tronco-conical cuffs should be used for accurate blood pressure (BP) measurement in the obese. However, not only arm size but also its shape may affect the accuracy of BP measurement when a cylindrical cuff is used.Methods: In 197 subjects with arm circumference >32 cm, and 157 subjects with arm circumference ≤ 32 cm, the upper-arm was considered as formed from two truncated cones and the frustum slant angles of the proximal (upper angle) and distal (middle angle) truncated cones were measured. Five cylindrical and five tronco-conical cuffs of appropriate size in relation to arm circumference were used.Results: In the group with large arm, the upper slant angle was greater than the middle angle (86.5 ± 1.7° versus 84.7 ± 2.3°), whereas in the group with normal arm the two angles were similar. In the former group, the cylindrical cuff overestimated BP by 2.5 ± 5.4/1.7 ± 4.7 mmHg, whereas in the latter negligible between-cuff BP discrepancies were found. In the whole sample, BP discrepancies between the cylindrical and the tronco-conical cuffs correlated with both arm size and shape, considered as the difference between the upper and middle slant angles (all p < 0.0001). Among the participants with large arm, the between-cuff BP discrepancies increased progressively with increasing upper-middle angle difference (3.75 ± 0.38/2.78 ± 0.32 mmHg for the top tertile, p < 0.001/<0.001).Conclusions: These data indicate that in people with large upper arms, the tronco-conical shape of the arm is more pronounced on the lower than the upper half, a feature that amplifies the BP measurement error when cylindrical cuffs are used.

[Lancet Commission on Hypertension Group position statement on the global improvement of accuracy standards for devices that measure blood pressurePosicionamento do Grupo da Lancet Commission on Hypertension sobre a melhoria global dos padrões de acurácia para aparelhos que medem a pressão arterial]. / Declaración de posición del Grupo de la Comisión Lancet de Hipertensión con respecto a la mejora mundial de las normas de exactitud para los dispositivos de medición de la presión arterial.

The Lancet Commission on Hypertension identified that a key action to address the worldwide burden of high blood pressure (BP) was to improve the quality of BP measurements by using BP devices that have been validated for accuracy. Currently, there are over 3 000 commercially available BP devices, but many do not have published data on accuracy testing according to established scientific standards. This problem is enabled through weak or absent regulations that allow clearance of devices for commercial use without formal validation. In addition, new BP technologies have emerged (e.g. cuffless sensors) for which there is no scientific consensus regarding BP measurement accuracy standards. Altogether, these issues contribute to the widespread availability of clinic and home BP devices with limited or uncertain accuracy, leading to inappropriate hypertension diagnosis, management and drug treatment on a global scale. The most significant problems relating to the accuracy of BP devices can be resolved by the regulatory requirement for mandatory independent validation of BP devices according to the universally-accepted International Organization for Standardization Standard. This is a primary recommendation for which there is an urgent international need. Other key recommendations are development of validation standards specifically for new BP technologies and online lists of accurate devices that are accessible to consumers and health professionals. Recommendations are aligned with WHO policies on medical devices and universal healthcare. Adherence to recommendations would increase the global availability of accurate BP devices and result in better diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, thus decreasing the worldwide burden from high BP.

A Comissão Lancet sobre Hipertensão Arterial identificou que uma iniciativa central para enfrentar a carga mundial da hipertensão arterial seria a melhoria na qualidade da mensuração da pressão arterial pelo uso aparelhos de pressão arterial validados quanto à acurácia. Atualmente, existem mais de 3 000 aparelhos de pressão arterial disponíveis comercialmente; entretanto, muitos não têm dados publicados sobre testes de acurácia realizados de acordo com padrões científicos estabelecidos. Este problema resulta de regulamentação fraca ou inexistente, o que permite a aprovação para uso comercial de dispositivos sem validação formal. Além disso, surgiram novas tecnologias de mensuração da pressão arterial (por exemplo, sensores sem algemas) sem consenso científico quanto aos padrões de acurácia. No conjunto, essas questões contribuem para a oferta generalizada de dispositivos de pressão arterial clínica e domiciliar com acurácia limitada ou incerta, levando a diagnóstico, gerenciamento e tratamento inadequados da hipertensão em escala global. Os problemas mais significativos relacionados com a acurácia dos dispositivos de pressão arterial podem ser resolvidos por regulamentação que imponha a obrigatoriedade de validação independente dos aparelhos de pressão arterial, de acordo com a norma universalmente aceita pela Organização Internacional de Normalização. Esta é uma recomendação fundamental para a qual existe uma necessidade internacional urgente. Outras recomendações essenciais incluem o desenvolvimento de padrões de validação especificamente para novas tecnologias de mensuração da pressão arterial e listas on-line de aparelhos com acurácia adequada que sejam acessíveis aos consumidores e profissionais de saúde. As recomendações estão alinhadas com as políticas da Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) sobre dispositivos médicos e atenção universal à saúde. A adesão às recomendações aumentaria a oferta global de dispositivos de pressão arterial com acurácia adequada e resultaria em melhor diagnóstico e tratamento da hipertensão arterial, diminuindo assim a carga mundial dessa doença.

Glomerular hyperfiltration is a predictor of adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

The association between glomerular hyperfiltration and cardiovascular events is not well known. To investigate whether glomerular hyperfiltration is independently associated with risk of adverse outcome we analyzed 8794 participants, average age 52 years enrolled in 8 prospective studies. Of these, 89% had hypertension. Using the 5th and 95th percentiles of the age- and sex-specific quintiles of CKD-EPI-calculated estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), we identified three participant groups with low, high and normal eGFR. The ambulatory pulse pressure interval was wider and nighttime blood pressure fall was smaller in both the low and high than in the normal eGFR participants. During a mean follow-up of 6.2 years, there were 722 cardiovascular events. Crude event rates were significantly higher for both high (1.8 per 100-person-year) and low eGFR groups (2.1 per 100 person-year) as compared with group with normal eGFR (1.2 per 100 person-year). In multivariable Cox models including age, sex, average 24-hour blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, and cholesterol, both high eGFR (hazard ratio 1.5 (95% confidence interval 1.2-2.1) and low eGFR (2.0 [1.5-2.6]) participants had a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular events as compared to those with normal eGFR. Addition of body mass index to the multivariable survival model did not change the magnitude of hazard estimates. Thus, glomerular hyperfiltration is a strong and independent predictor of cardiovascular events in a large multiethnic population of predominantly hypertensive individuals. Our findings support a U-shaped relationship between eGFR and adverse outcome.

Arterial Distensibility, Physical Activity, and the Metabolic Syndrome.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Metabolic syndrome (MetS), a cluster of risk factors including central obesity, metabolic abnormalities, and arterial hypertension, is a well-known determinant of arterial wall remodeling and stiffening. The mechanisms whereby MetS promotes arterial stiffening include increased sympathetic activity with the associated fast heart rate, enhanced activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, increased production of inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species, and reduction of nitric oxide availability. These adverse effects can explain why aerobic physical activity can retard the age-related decline in arterial elasticity in subjects with MetS. RECENT FINDINGS: A large number of studies have shown that in patients with MetS, exercise can reduce body weight and blood pressure and improve the metabolic profile. In addition, regular exercise training can counterbalance the detrimental effects of MetS by reducing sympathetic activity and improving endothelial function with a beneficial effect on arterial elasticity. Indeed, the majority of published data have shown a favorable effect of aerobic exercise on pulse wave velocity, augmentation index, central blood pressure, and small artery compliance. Special attention should be paid by clinicians to people with MetS in whom the adverse effect of metabolic disturbances on arterial structure and function can be offset by a program of physical training.

Low night-time heart rate is longitudinally associated with lower augmentation index and central systolic blood pressure in hypertension.

PURPOSE: Several studies have shown that the augmentation index (AIx) is negatively correlated with heart rate (HR). This led some authors to claim that the use of HR-lowering drugs may be detrimental in hypertension. The aim of this study was to assess the longitudinal and cross-sectional relationships of HR with AIx and central blood pressure (BP) in 346 subjects from the HARVEST (mean age 30.7 ± 8.5 years). METHODS: At baseline, HR was measured with 24-h ambulatory recording. Central hemodynamics were evaluated with Specaway DAT system after a median of 8.0 years from baseline. In multivariate linear regression analyses, AIx and central systolic BP were used as dependent variables and night-time HR or office HR as predictors adjusting for several risk factors and confounders. RESULTS: In fully adjusted models, baseline night-time HR was a significant positive predictor of AIx (p < 0.001) and central BP (p = 0.014) measured 8 years later. Adjusted office HR measured at the time of arterial distensibility assessment was inversely correlated with AIx (p = 0.001) a relationship which was attenuated after physical activity (p = 0.004) and left ventricular ejection time (p = 0.015) were taken into account. In addition, office HR was inversely correlated with central BP (p = 0.039) a relationship which was no longer significant after physical activity and ejection time were accounted for. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that HR measured during sleep is longitudinally associated with AIx and central BP. Thus, low HR in the long term may have beneficial effects on central hemodynamics and the wall properties of the large arteries in hypertension.

Effects of smoking on central blood pressure and pressure amplification in hypertension of the young.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cigarette smoking on peripheral and central blood pressure (BP) in a group of young stage I hypertensives. A total of 344 untreated subjects from the HARVEST study were examined (mean age 37±10 years). Patients were divided into three groups based on smoking status: non-smokers, light smokers (⩽5 cigarettes/day) and moderate-to-heavy smokers (>5 cigarettes/day); and into three groups by age: 18-29, 30-39 and ⩾40 years. Central BP measurements and augmentation index (AIx) were calculated from brachial pressure waveform, with applanation tonometry, by means of the Specaway DAT System plus a Millar tonometer. The central waveform was derived from peripheral BP using the same software system of the SphygmoCor System pulse wave analysis. In addition, two indirect measurements of arterial stiffness were calculated: pulse pressure (PP) and systolic BP amplification. Central systolic BP and PP were higher in smokers than in non-smokers (systolic BP: 121.9±13.1 mmHg in non-smokers, 127.2±16.5 mmHg in light smokers, 126.7±15.3 mmHg in those who smoked >5 cigarettes/day, p=0.009; PP: 37.7±9.8 mmHg, 41.5±13.1 mmHg, 41.9±10.5 mmHg, respectively, p=0.005). Lower systolic BP amplification (p<0.001) and PP amplification (p=0.001) were observed in smokers compared to non-smokers. In a two-way ANCOVA analysis, systolic BP amplification markedly declined across the three age groups (p=0.0002) and from non-smokers to smokers (p=0.0001), with a significant interaction between smoking and age group (p=0.05). The AIx was higher in smokers compared to non-smokers (p=0.024). In young hypertensives, smoking has a detrimental effect on central BP, accelerating the age-related decline in BP amplification.

Regular physical activity is associated with improved small artery distensibility in young to middle-age stage 1 hypertensives.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of physical activity with small artery elasticity in the early stage of hypertension. We examined 366 young-to-middle-age stage 1 hypertensives (mean blood pressure 145.6±10.3/92.5±5.8 mmHg), divided into two categories of physical activity, sedentary (n=264) and non-sedentary (n=102) subjects. The augmentation index was measured using the Specaway DAT System. Small artery compliance (C2) was measured by applanation tonometry, at the radial artery, with an HDI CR2000 device. After 6 years of follow-up, arterial distensibility assessment was repeated in 151 subjects. Heart rate was lower in active than in sedentary subjects (71.2±8.9 vs 76.6±9.7 bpm, p<0.001). After adjusting for age, sex, heart rate, smoking, and blood pressure, C2 was higher (8.0±2.6 vs 6.4±3.0 ml/mmHg × 100, p=0.008) in non-sedentary than in sedentary patients. The augmentation index was smaller in the former (8.8±20.1 vs 16.8±26.5%, p=0.044) but the difference lost statistical significance after further adjustment for blood pressure. After 6 years, C2 was still higher in the non-sedentary than sedentary subjects. In addition, an improvement in the augmentation index accompanied by a decline in total peripheral resistance was found in the former. These data show that regular physical activity is associated with improved small artery elasticity in the early phase of hypertension. This association persists over time and is independent of blood pressure and heart rate.

Reproducibility of daytime hypertension, night-time hypertension, and nocturnal blood pressure dipping patterns in young to middle age patients with stage 1 hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the reproducibility of ambulatory BP sub-periods and nocturnal dipping phenotypes assessed twice 3 months apart in young-to-middle-age untreated individuals screened for stage 1 hypertension. DESIGN AND METHODS: We investigated 1096, 18-to-45-year old participants from the HARVEST. Their office BP was 145.8 ±â€Š10.4/93.7 ±â€Š5.7 mmHg. Office BP and 24 h BP were measured at baseline and after 3 months. Office, 24-h, daytime and night-time hypertensions, and nocturnal dipping patterns were defined according to the 2023 ESH guidelines. Between-recording agreement was evaluated with kappa statistics. RESULTS: Reproducibility evaluated with weighted kappa was moderate for both 24 h hypertension (K = 0.48) and daytime hypertension (K = 0.50) and was only fair for night-time hypertension (K = 0.36). Between-measurement agreement was even worse for isolated night-time hypertension (K = 0.24), and was poor for office hypertension (K = 0.14). The better reproducibility of daytime than night-time period was confirmed by the analysis of BP as continuous variable (all between-period differences, P < 0.001). Nondipping was present in 31.8%, and showed a fair agreement (K = 0.28,). Poorer agreement was shown by extreme dipping (K = 0.18) and reverse dipping (K = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: These data show that within the ambulatory sub-periods, daytime hypertension has a better reproducibility than night-time hypertension. This suggests that the better association with adverse outcomes shown by sleep BP compared to wake BP in observational studies is not due to a better reproducibility of the former. The between-measurement agreement is even worse for isolated nocturnal hypertension and dipping patterns, especially for extreme and reverse dipping. Thus, these BP phenotypes should be confirmed with repeat ambulatory BP monitoring.

Instability of Healthy Overweight and Obesity Phenotypes over the Long Term in Young Participants in the HARVEST Study: Influence of Sex.

BACKGROUND: Whether healthy metabolic status is stable or only temporary is still controversial. The aim of the present study was to determine the frequency of the transition from metabolically healthy to metabolically unhealthy status, or vice versa, over the long term. METHODS: We examined 970 individuals of 18 to 45 years of age. The participants' mean age was 33.1 ± 8.6 years and mean BP was 145.5 ± 10.6/93.5 ± 5.7 mmHg. Participants were classified into four groups according to whether they had normal weight or overweight/obesity (OwOb) and were metabolically healthy or unhealthy. After 7.5 years, 24.3% of men and 41.9% of women in the metabolically healthy normal-weight group remained metabolically healthy (p < 0.0001). Among the metabolically healthy OwOb participants, 31.9% remained metabolically healthy, with a similar frequency in men and women. However, more OwOb women (19.1%) than men (5.7%) achieved normal weight (p < 0.0001). Among the metabolically unhealthy OwOb subjects, 81.8% of men and 69.3% of women remained metabolically unhealthy, 7.4% of men and 12.0% of women transitioned to OwOb healthy status, and 10.7% of men and 18.7% of women achieved normal weight (men versus women, p < 0.0001). Predictors of transition to unhealthy status were high BP, high BMI, and smoking. Male sex was a borderline predictor of progression to unhealthy status in OwOb participants (p = 0.073). CONCLUSION: These data show that metabolically healthy status is a highly unstable condition in both normal-weight and OwOb individuals. The impairment of metabolic status was more frequent in men than in women. Lifestyle counseling produced beneficial effects in almost one-third of metabolically unhealthy OwOb women and in less than one-fifth of men.

Assessment and management of exaggerated blood pressure response to standing and orthostatic hypertension: consensus statement by the European Society of Hypertension Working Group on Blood Pressure Monitoring and Cardiovascular Variability.

Recent evidence suggests that an exaggerated blood pressure (BP) response to standing (ERTS) is associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes, both in young and old individuals. In addition, ERTS has been shown to be an independent predictor of masked hypertension. In the vast majority of studies reporting on the prognostic value of orthostatic hypertension (OHT), the definition was based only on systolic office BP measurements. This consensus statement provides recommendations on the assessment and management of individuals with ERTS and/or OHT. ERTS is defined as an orthostatic increase in SBP at least 20 mmHg and OHT as an ERTS with standing SBP at least 140 mmHg. This statement recommends a standardized methodology to assess ERTS, by considering body and arm position, and the number and timing of BP measurements. ERTS/OHT should be confirmed in a second visit, to account for its limited reproducibility. The second assessment should evaluate BP changes from the supine to the standing posture. Ambulatory BP monitoring is recommended in most individuals with ERTS/OHT, especially if they have high-normal seated office BP. Implementation of lifestyle changes and close follow-up are recommended in individuals with ERTS/OHT and normotensive seated office BP. Whether antihypertensive treatment should be administered in the latter is unknown. Hypertensive patients with ERTS/OHT should be managed as any other hypertensive patient. Standardized standing BP measurement should be implemented in future epidemiological and interventional studies.

May Measure Month 2022 in Italy: A Focus on Fixed-dose Combination, Therapeutic Adherence, and Medical Inertia in a Nationwide Survey.

INTRODUCTION: Hypertension is the main risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Notably, only about half of hypertensive patients manage to achieve the recommended blood pressure (BP) control. Main reasons for the persistence of uncontrolled BP during treatment are lack of compliance on the patients' side, and therapeutic inertia on physicians' side. METHODS: During the global BP screening campaign "May Measure Month" (MMM) (May 1st to July 31st, 2022), a nationwide, cross-sectional, opportunistic study endorsed by the Italian Society of Hypertension was conducted on volunteer adults ≥ 18 years to raise awareness of the health issues surrounding high BP. A questionnaire on demographic/clinical features and questions on the use of fixed-dose single-pills for the treatment of hypertension was administered. BP was measured with standard procedures. RESULTS: A total of 1612 participants (mean age 60.0±15.41 years; 44.7% women) were enrolled. Their mean BP was 128.5±18.1/77.1±10.4 mmHg. About half of participants were sedentary, or overweight/obese, or hypertensive. 55.5% individuals with complete BP assessment had uncontrolled hypertension. Most were not on a fixed-dose combination of antihypertensive drugs and did not regularly measure BP at home. Self-reported adherence to BP medications was similar between individuals with controlled and uncontrolled BP (95% vs 95.5%). CONCLUSIONS: This survey identified a remarkable degree of therapeutic inertia and poor patients' involvement in the therapeutic process and its monitoring in the examined population, underlining the importance of prevention campaigns to identify areas of unsatisfactory management of hypertension, to increase risk factors' awareness in the population with the final purpose of reducing cardiovascular risk.

Central blood pressure is an independent predictor of future hypertension in young to middle-aged stage 1 hypertensives.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association of central blood pressure (BP) with organ damage and risk of future hypertension in a cohort of young to middle-aged patients. METHODS: We studied 305 subjects screened for stage 1 hypertension to determine which subjects developed hypertension needing therapy according to current guidelines. Central BP was obtained from radial artery tonometry. Organ damage was the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy and/or microalbuminuria. RESULTS: In a multiple logistic regression including ambulatory 24-h BP, central mean BP was associated with presence of end-organ damage (p = 0.003). In the subjects divided according to whether their central mean BP was above or below the median, subjects with high central mean BP presented an earlier impairment of arterial distensibility and developed sustained hypertension more frequently compared with those with low central mean BP (p < 0.001). In logistic analyses, central mean BP was an independent predictor of future hypertension (p < 0.001) and remained associated with outcome when 24-h BP was included in the same model (p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: In young to middle-aged subjects in the early stage of hypertension, central mean BP is a useful adjunct to brachial BPs to better define the individual risk profile.

Effects of Different Kinds of Physical Activity on Vascular Function.

Regular exercise is one of the main non-pharmacological measures suggested by several guidelines to prevent and treat the development of hypertension and cardiovascular disease through its impact on the vascular system. Routine aerobic training exerts its beneficial effects by means of several mechanisms: decreasing the heart rate and arterial pressure as well as reducing the activation of the sympathetic system and inflammation process without ignoring the important role that it plays in the metabolic profile. Through all these actions, physical training counteracts the arterial stiffening and aging that underlie the development of future cardiovascular events. While the role of aerobic training is undoubted, the effects of resistance training or combined-training exercise on arterial distensibility are still questioned. Moreover, whether different levels of physical activity have a different impact on normotensive and hypertensive subjects is still debated.

Criteria for a suitable reference cuff for validation studies of blood pressure measuring devices in people with arm circumference between 43 and 50 cm.

OBJECTIVE: Recommendations about the dimensions of the reference cuff for device validations in people with arm size >42 cm are still unavailable. The aim of this study was to identify the criteria for an appropriate reference cuff for validation studies in people with upper arm circumference between 43 and 50 cm. METHODS: In 20 adults with upper arm circumference between 43 and 50 cm (X-large group), 34 subjects with arm circumference between 37 and 42 cm and 78 subjects with arm circumference <37 cm cylindrical and tronco-conical cuffs were compared. In all participants, the pressure transmitted to the arm under the two cuffs was measured using a paper-thin pressure sensor. RESULTS: In the X-large group, all participants had an arm slant angle <86.0°. In this group, the difference between the pressure detected on the arm surface with the sensor using the cylindrical versus the tronco-conical cuff (13.5 mmHg) was larger than in the group with an arm circumference of 37-to 42 cm and the group with a circumference <37 cm (3.7 and 0.6 mmHg, respectively, P < 0.001 versus both). In the whole sample, the between-cuff pressure difference was proportional to the conical shape of the arm ( P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that in people with arm size between 43 and 50 cm the reference cuff for validation studies should have a conical shape with an 84-85° slant angle. To comply with current guidelines, an 18.5 × 37.0 cm bladder should be used which would allow proper cuffing in the large majority of subjects.

Reproducibility and Predictive Value of White-Coat Hypertension in Young to Middle-Age Subjects.

(1) Aim. The aim of the study was to investigate the reproducibility of white-coat hypertension (WCH) and its predictive capacity for hypertension needing antihypertensive treatment (HT) in young to middle-age subjects. (2) Methods. We investigated 1096 subjects from the HARVEST. Office and 24 h blood pressures (BP) were measured at baseline and after 3 months. The reproducibility of WCH was evaluated with kappa statistics. The predictive capacity of WCH was tested in multivariate Cox models (N = 1050). (3) Results. Baseline WCH was confirmed at 3-month assessment in 33.3% of participants. Reproducibility was fair (0.27, 95%CI 0.20-0.37) for WCH, poor (0.14, 95%CI 0.09-0.19) for office hypertension, and moderate (0.47, 95%CI 0.41-0.53) for ambulatory hypertension. WCH assessed either at baseline or after 3 months (unstable WCH) was not a significant predictor of HT during 17.4 years of follow-up. However, participants who had WCH both at baseline and after 3 months (stable WCH) had an increased risk of HT compared to the normotensives (Hazard ratio, 1.50, 95%CI 1.06-2.1). (4) Conclusions. These results show that WCH has limited reproducibility. WCH diagnosed with two BP assessments but not with one showed an increased risk of future HT. Our data indicate that WCH should be identified with two sets of office and ambulatory BP measurements.

Both Moderate and Heavy Alcohol Use Amplify the Adverse Cardiovascular Effects of Smoking in Young Patients with Hypertension.

AIM: To evaluate the association of alcohol and smoking combined with cardiovascular and renal events and investigate whether moderate and heavy alcohol consumption have a different impact on this association. METHODS: The study was conducted in 1208 young-to-middle-age stage 1 hypertensive patients. Subjects were classified into three categories of cigarette smoking and alcohol use, and the risk of adverse outcomes was assessed over a 17.4-year follow-up. RESULTS: In multivariable Cox models, smoking showed a different prognostic impact on alcohol drinkers and abstainers. In the former, an increase in the risk of cardiovascular and renal events was observed compared to nonsmokers (hazard ratio, 2.6, 95% CI, 1.5-4.3, p < 0.001), whereas in the latter, the risk did not achieve the level of statistical significance (p = 0.27) with a significant interaction between smoking and alcohol use (p < 0.001). Among the heavy smokers who also drank alcoholic beverages, the hazard ratio from the fully adjusted model was 4.3 (95% CI, 2.3-8.0, p < 0.0001). In the subjects with moderate alcohol consumption, the risk of smoking and alcohol combined was similar to that found in the whole population (hazard ratio, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.5-3.9, p < 0.001). Among the subjects with heavy alcohol consumption, the hazard ratio was 3.4 (95% CI, 1.3-8.6, p = 0.011). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that the detrimental cardiovascular effects of smoking can be worsened by concomitant alcohol use. This synergistic effect occurs not only for heavy alcohol consumption but also for moderate use. Smokers should be aware of the increased risk associated with concomitant alcohol consumption.

Automated 'oscillometric' blood pressure measuring devices: how they work and what they measure.

Automated 'oscillometric' blood pressure (BP) measuring devices (BPMDs) were developed in the 1970s to replace manual auscultatory BP measurement by mercury sphygmomanometer. Automated BPMDs that have passed accuracy testing versus a reference auscultatory sphygmomanometer using a scientifically accepted validation protocol are recommended for clinical use globally. Currently, there are many thousands of unique automated BPMDs manufactured by hundreds of companies, with each device using proprietary algorithms to estimate BP and using a method of operation that is largely unchanged since inception. Validated automated BPMDs provide similar BP values to those recorded using manual auscultation albeit with potential sources of error mostly associated with using empirical algorithms to derive BP from waveform pulsations. Much of the work to derive contemporary BP thresholds and treatment targets used to manage cardiovascular disease risk was obtained using automated BPMDs. While there is room for future refinement to improve accuracy for better individual risk stratification, validated BPMDs remain the recommended standard for office and out-of-office BP measurement to be used in hypertension diagnosis and management worldwide.