Consensus Statements from the Diabetologists & Endocrinologists Alliance for the Management of People with Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are important, intertwined public health issues. People with both conditions face significantly elevated risks of cardiovascular (CV) and renal complications. To optimize patient care, a multidisciplinary expert panel met to review recent evidence on optimal blood pressure (BP) targets, implications of albuminuria, and treatment regimens for hypertensive patients with T2DM, with the aim of providing recommendations for physicians in Hong Kong. The panel reviewed the relevant literature, obtained by searching PubMed for the publication period from January 2015 to June 2021, to address five discussion areas: (i) BP targets based on CV/renal benefits; (ii) management of isolated systolic or diastolic hypertension; (iii) roles of angiotensin II receptor blockers; (iv) implications of albuminuria for CV/renal events and treatment choices; and (v) roles and tools of screening for microalbuminuria. The panel held three virtual meetings using a modified Delphi method to address the discussion areas. After each meeting, consensus statements were derived and anonymously voted on by every panelist. A total of 17 consensus statements were formulated based on recent evidence and expert insights regarding cardioprotection and renoprotection for hypertensive patients with T2DM.

Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology Consensus Recommendations for Pre-participation Screening in Young Competitive Athletes.

Sports-related sudden cardiac death is a rare but devastating consequence of sports participation. Certain pathologies underlying sports-related sudden cardiac death could have been picked up pre-participation and the affected athletes advised on appropriate preventive measures and/or suitability for training or competition. However, mass screening efforts - especially in healthy young populations - are fraught with challenges, most notably the need to balance scarce medical resources and sustainability of such screening programmes, in healthcare systems that are already stretched. Given the rising trend of young sports participants across the Asia-Pacific region, the working group of the Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology (APSC) developed a sports classification system that incorporates dynamic and static components of various sports, with deliberate integration of sports events unique to the Asia-Pacific region. The APSC expert panel reviewed and appraised using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system. Consensus recommendations were developed, which were then put to an online vote. Consensus was reached when 80% of votes for a recommendation were agree or neutral. The resulting statements described here provide guidance on the need for cardiovascular pre-participation screening for young competitive athletes based on the intensity of sports they engage in.