Incidence and prevalence of registered hypertension in Poland.

Introduction  Hypertension is a major factor related to morbidity and mortality in the middle and high income countries. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess the incidence and prevalence of registered hypertension in Poland in 2018-2022. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We used the public payer claims database to assess incidence and prevalence of registered hypertension. Hypertension was defined using International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision codes from I10 to I15. RESULTS: The number of registered hypertension cases varied from 10.85 mln to 11.00 mln during the analyzed period. The prevalence was 0.5%, 0.5%, 0.5%, 0.4%, and 0.4% (P <0.001) in children (age <18 years) and 34.4%, 34.8%, 34.9%, 35.2%, 35.2% (P <0.001) among adults in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively. In 2022, mean age of persons with registered hypertension was 66.2 (14.1) years in females and 60.8 (14.8) years in males (P <0.001). The highest incidence of registered hypertension was found in men aged 55-59 years and in women aged 50-54 years. The registered prevalence of hypertension is higher among men up-to the age of 54 years, and higher in women in older age groups reaching 94% and 87% in the oldest old women and men, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Number of patients with registered hypertension in Poland reaches 11 mln, while the prevalence was 35.2% in adults and 0.4% in children in 2022. In the population under the age of 55 years hypertension is more common in men, while in older age groups women predominate.

Physicians' attitudes toward beta-blockers for the treatment of hypertension in Italy, Poland, and Turkey.

Despite substantial progress in understanding the complex pathophysiology, hypertension remains a serious public health challenge affecting over 1.2 billion adults aged 30-79 years worldwide. Appropriate knowledge of the different pharmaceutical classes of antihypertensive agents and an understanding of the characteristics of individual molecules are essential to optimize clinical outcomes in patients with hypertension. We conducted a computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) quantitative survey in Italy, Poland, and Turkey to investigate physicians' prescriptions, knowledge, and perceptions of antihypertensive drugs with a focus on ß-blockers, to assess antihypertensive usage patterns and the reasons underlying prescription choices. The survey findings show that ß-blockers retain a pivotal role in the management of hypertension and are prescribed more often for patients with cardiovascular comorbidities than for patients with diabetic comorbidities. In all three countries, nebivolol is the only ß-blocker among the ones analyzed which is consistently prescribed to 20% or more of patients and is overall the most prescribed one for the population with comorbid diabetes. In terms of specific ß-blockers' features, this study revealed knowledge gaps that underline the need for educational activities focused on the differences among ß-blockers, which are important in choosing the most suitable agent for individualized antihypertensive therapy.

Association of adrenal steroids with metabolomic profiles in patients with primary and endocrine hypertension.

Introduction: Endocrine hypertension (EHT) due to pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma (PPGL), Cushing's syndrome (CS), or primary aldosteronism (PA) is linked to a variety of metabolic alterations and comorbidities. Accordingly, patients with EHT and primary hypertension (PHT) are characterized by distinct metabolic profiles. However, it remains unclear whether the metabolomic differences relate solely to the disease-defining hormonal parameters. Therefore, our objective was to study the association of disease defining hormonal excess and concomitant adrenal steroids with metabolomic alterations in patients with EHT. Methods: Retrospective European multicenter study of 263 patients (mean age 49 years, 50% females; 58 PHT, 69 PPGL, 37 CS, 99 PA) in whom targeted metabolomic and adrenal steroid profiling was available. The association of 13 adrenal steroids with differences in 79 metabolites between PPGL, CS, PA and PHT was examined after correction for age, sex, BMI, and presence of diabetes mellitus. Results: After adjustment for BMI and diabetes mellitus significant association between adrenal steroids and metabolites - 18 in PPGL, 15 in CS, and 23 in PA - were revealed. In PPGL, the majority of metabolite associations were linked to catecholamine excess, whereas in PA, only one metabolite was associated with aldosterone. In contrast, cortisone (16 metabolites), cortisol (6 metabolites), and DHEA (8 metabolites) had the highest number of associated metabolites in PA. In CS, 18-hydroxycortisol significantly influenced 5 metabolites, cortisol affected 4, and cortisone, 11-deoxycortisol, and DHEA each were linked to 3 metabolites. Discussions: Our study indicates cortisol, cortisone, and catecholamine excess are significantly associated with metabolomic variances in EHT versus PHT patients. Notably, catecholamine excess is key to PPGL's metabolomic changes, whereas in PA, other non-defining adrenal steroids mainly account for metabolomic differences. In CS, cortisol, alongside other non-defining adrenal hormones, contributes to these differences, suggesting that metabolic disorders and cardiovascular morbidity in these conditions could also be affected by various adrenal steroids.

Screening for Primary Aldosteronism by Mass Spectrometry Versus Immunoassay Measurements of Aldosterone: A Prospective Within-Patient Study.

BACKGROUND: Measurements of aldosterone by mass spectrometry are more accurate and less prone to interferences than immunoassay measurements, and may produce a more accurate aldosterone:renin ratio (ARR) when screening for primary aldosteronism (PA). METHODS: Differences in diagnostic performance of the ARR using mass spectrometry vs immunoassay measurements of aldosterone were examined in 710 patients screened for PA. PA was confirmed in 153 patients and excluded in 451 others. Disease classifications were not achieved in 106 patients. Areas under receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUROC) and other measures were used to compare diagnostic performance. RESULTS: Mass spectrometry-based measurements yielded lower plasma aldosterone concentrations than immunoassay measurements. For the ARR based on immunoassay measurements of aldosterone, AUROCs were slightly lower (P = 0.018) than those using mass spectrometry measurements (0.895 vs 0.906). The cutoff for the ARR to reach a sensitivity of 95% was 30 and 21.5 pmol/mU by respective immunoassay and mass spectrometry-based measurements, which corresponded to specificities of 57% for both. With data restricted to patients with unilateral PA, diagnostic sensitivities of 94% with specificities >81% could be achieved at cutoffs of 61 and 52 pmol/mU for respective immunoassay and mass spectrometry measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Mass spectrometry-based measurements of aldosterone for the ARR provide no clear diagnostic advantage over immunoassay-based measurements. Both approaches offer limited diagnostic accuracy for the ARR as a screening test. One solution is to employ the higher cutoffs to triage patients likely to have unilateral PA for further tests and possible adrenalectomy, while using the lower cutoffs to identify others for targeted medical therapy.German Clinical Trials Register ID: DRKS00017084.

Recommendations of the Experts of the Polish Cardiac Society (PCS) and the Polish Lipid Association (PoLA) on the diagnosis and management of elevated lipoprotein(a) levels.

Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is made up of a low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle and a specific apolipoprotein(a). The blood concentration of Lp(a) is approximately 90% genetically determined, and the main genetic factor determining Lp(a) levels is the size of the apo(a) isoform, which is determined by the number of KIV2 domain repeats. The size of the apo(a) isoform is inversely proportional to the blood concentration of Lp(a). Lp(a) is a strong and independent cardiovascular risk factor. Elevated Lp(a) levels ≥ 50 mg/dl (≥ 125 nmol/l) are estimated to occur in more than 1.5 billion people worldwide. However, determination of Lp(a) levels is performed far too rarely, including Poland, where, in fact, it is only since the 2021 guidelines of the Polish Lipid Association (PoLA) and five other scientific societies that Lp(a) measurements have begun to be performed. Determination of Lp(a) concentrations is not easy due to, among other things, the different sizes of the apo(a) isoforms; however, the currently available certified tests make it possible to distinguish between people with low and high cardiovascular risk with a high degree of precision. In 2022, the first guidelines for the management of patients with elevated lipoprotein(a) levels were published by the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) and the American Heart Association (AHA). The first Polish guidelines are the result of the work of experts from the two scientific societies and their aim is to provide clear, practical recommendations for the determination and management of elevated Lp(a) levels.

Use of individual antihypertensive drug classes and combination therapies during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland: a cross-sectional, nationwide study in the years 2019-2021.

INTRODUCTION: The 2018 European Society of Cardiology / European Society of Hypertension guidelines recommended the use of combination therapy, especially in the form of single­pill combinations (SPCs), for treatment of hypertension. OBJECTIVES: We assessed adherence to these recommendations after their publication and during the COVID­19 pandemic in Poland. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The frequencies of using individual antihypertensive drug classes and their combinations were analyzed for the years 2019, 2020, and 2021 in all patients who filled at least 1 prescription for an antihypertensive drug, using information from a database covering all prescriptions filled in Poland. RESULTS: In the years 2019, 2020, and 2021, a total of 10 328 341, 9 478 949, and 9 637 595 patients, respectively, fulfilled the inclusion criteria. There was a continuous decrease in the rate of patients meeting the criteria for coprescribing 2 or more antihypertensive drugs in the consecutive years (59.3%, 49%, 45.6%, respectively, in 2019, 2020, and 2021; P <0.001). In 2019, 2020, and 2021, a combination of renin­angiotensin system blockers, calcium channel blockers and / or diuretics was respectively used by 41.7%, 40.9%, and 42% of the patients taking 2 antihypertensive drugs (P <0.001), and by 15.2%, 17.2%, and 18.5% of the patients taking 3 antihypertensive drugs (P <0.001). There was an increase in the use of ß­blockers over the study period (62%, 62.8%, and 63.7%, respectively, in 2019, 2020, and 2021; P <0.001). Double SPCs were used by 28%, 28.7%, and 29.8% of the patients (P <0.001), and triple SPCs by 2.6%, 2.9%, and 3.4% of the patients (P <0.001), respectively, in 2019, 2020, and 2021. CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID­19 pandemic, a decrease in the frequency of combination treatments and an increase in the frequency of dual and triple SPC use were observed. Despite the slow increase in the frequency of prescribing the guideline­recommended drug combinations, their use remains suboptimal.

Risks and benefits of renal artery stenting in fibromuscular dysplasia: Lessons from the ARCADIA-POL study.

INTRODUCTION: Although renal stenting is the standard revascularization method for atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (RAS) (FMD-RAS), stenting in fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) RAS is usually limited to periprocedural complications of angioplasty and primary arterial dissection. The main aim of the study was to retrospectively analyze the immediate and long-term results of renal stenting versus angioplasty in patients with FMD. METHODS: Of 343 patients in the ARCADIA-POL registry, 58 patients underwent percutaneous treatment due to FMD-RAS (in 70 arteries). Percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) was performed as an initial treatment in 61 arteries (PTRA-group), whereas primary stenting was undertaken in nine arteries (stent-group). Stent-related complications were defined as: in-stent restenosis > 50% (ISR); stent fracture; under-expansion; or migration. RESULTS: In the PTRA-group, the initial restenosis rate was 50.8%. A second procedure was then performed in 22 arteries: re-PTRA (12 arteries) or stenting (10 arteries). The incidence of recurrent restenosis after re-PTRA was 41.7%. Complications occurred in seven of 10 (70%) arteries secondarily treated by stenting: two with under-expansion and five with ISR. In the stent-group, stent under-expansion occurred in one case (11.1%) and ISR in three of nine stents (33.3%). In combined analysis of stented arteries, either primarily or secondarily, stent-related complications occurred in 11/19 stenting procedures (57.9%): three due to under-expansion and eight due to ISRs. Finally, despite several revascularization attempts, four of 19 (21%) stented arteries were totally occluded and one was significantly stenosed at follow-up imaging. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that renal stenting in FMD-RAS may carry a high risk of late complications, including stent occlusion. Further observational data from large-scale registries are required.

Pericoronary adipose tissue density is increased in patients with recent spontaneous coronary dissection.

OBJECTIVE: Inflammatory activity is one of the potential mechanisms of spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD). Recently, the pericoronary adipose tissue attenuation (PCAT) derived from CT angiography (CTA) has been established as a method for measuring vascular inflammation. We aimed to characterise the pancoronary and vessel-specific PCAT in patients with and without recent SCAD. METHODS: The study comprised patients with SCAD referred to a tertiary centre between 2017 and 2022 who underwent CTA and were compared with individuals with no prior SCAD. PCAT was analysed on end-diastolic CTA reconstructions along proximal 40 mm of all major coronary vessels as well as the SCAD-related vessel. We analysed 48 patients with recent SCAD (median 6.1 (IQR 3.5-14.9) months since SCAD, 95.8% female) and 48 patients in the group without SCAD. RESULTS: Pancoronary PCAT was higher in patients with SCAD compared with those without SCAD (-80.6±7.9 vs -85.3 HU±6.1, p=0.002). Vessel-specific PCAT in patients with SCAD compared with patients without SCAD was higher for both the RCA (-80.9±9.5 vs -87.1±6.9 HU, p=0.001) and the LCA (-80.3±7.8 vs -83.4±7.2 HU, p=0.04). In patients with SCAD, PCAT of the SCAD-related vessel was not significantly different from averaged PCAT of unaffected vessels (-81.2±9.2 vs -80.6±7.6, p=0.74). There was no association between PCAT and the interval from SCAD to CTA. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with recent SCAD have higher PCAT compared with patients without SCAD, suggesting an increased perivascular inflammatory activity. This association is not restricted to the dissected vessel.

Short- and long-term survival of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in relation to cardiovascular risk factors and established cardiovascular disease: the Cor-Cardio study.

INTRODUCTION: The clinical presentation of COVID­19 may range from asymptomatic infection to severe disease. Previous studies reported a relationship between the course of COVID­19 and a history of cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD). OBJECTIVES: We aimed to analyze the influence of CV risk factors, established CVD, and treatment with CV drugs on short- and long­term survival in patients hospitalized for COVID­19. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data of patients hospitalized in 13 COVID­19 hospitals in Poland (between March and October 2020). Individual deaths during the follow­up were recorded until March 2021. RESULTS: Overall, 2346 patients with COVID­19 were included (mean age, 61 years; 50.2% women). A total of 341 patients (14.5%) died during the hospitalization, and 95 (4.7%) died during the follow­up. Independent predictors of in­hospital death were older age, a history of established CVD, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease (CKD), while treatment with renin­angiotensin­aldosterone system blockers or statins was associated with a lower risk of death during hospitalization. Factors that independently predicted death during the follow­up were older age, a history of established CVD, CKD, and a history of cancer. The presence of CV risk factors did not increase the odds of death either in the hospital or during the follow­up. Of note, higher systolic blood pressure and oxygen blood saturation on admission were associated with better short- and long­term prognosis. CONCLUSION: Established CVD and CKD were the main predictors of mortality during both the hospitalization and the follow­up in the patients hospitalized for COVID­19, while the use of CV drugs during the hospitalization was associated with better prognosis. The presence of CV risk factors did not increase the odds of in­hospital and postdischarge death.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in treated patients with hypertension in the COVID-19 pandemic - The study of European society of hypertension (ESH ABPM COVID-19 study).

PURPOSE: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the subsequent lockdown profoundly affected almost all aspects of daily life including health services worldwide. The established risk factors for increased blood pressure (BP) and hypertension may also demonstrate significant changes during the pandemic. This study aims to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on BP control and BP phenotypes as assessed with 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a multi-centre, observational, retrospective and comparative study involving Excellence Centres of the European Society of Hypertension across Europe. Along with clinical data and office BP, ABPM recordings will be collected in adult patients with treated arterial hypertension. There will be two groups in the study: Group 1 will consist of participants who have undergone two ABPM recordings - the second one occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic, i.e. after March 2020, and the first one 9-15 months prior to the second. Participants in Group 2 will have two repeated ABPM recordings - both performed before the pandemic within a similar 9-15 month interval between the recordings. Within each group, we will analyse and compare BP variables and phenotypes (including averaged daytime and night-time BP, BP variability, dipper and non-dipper status, white-coat and masked hypertension) between the two respective ABPM recordings and compare these changes between the two groups. The target sample size will amount to least 590 participants in each of the study groups, which means a total of at least 2360 ABPM recordings overall. EXPECTED OUTCOMES: As a result, we expect to identify the impact of a COVID-19 pandemic on blood pressure control and the quality of medical care in order to develop the strategy to control cardiovascular risk factors during unpredictable global events.

What is the context?A wide range of daily activities, including health care worldwide, were deeply affected by the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown.What is new?Our multicenter study will examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on blood pressure control in hypertensive patients across Europe by analysing results of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.What is the impact?Optimising strategies for dealing with future unpredictable global situations will depend on understanding how the pandemic affected blood pressure control.

Recurrent Disease in Patients With Sporadic Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma.

CONTEXT: Long-term follow-up has been recommended for patients with pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma (PPGL) due to potential for recurrent disease. However, the need to follow patients with sporadic PPGL has recently become controversial. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of recurrence among patients with sporadic compared with hereditary PPGL and to identify predictors of recurrence for sporadic disease. METHODS: This multicenter study included retrospective data from 1127 patients with PPGL. In addition to sex and age at primary tumor diagnosis, clinical information included location, size, and catecholamine phenotype of primary tumors, genetic test results, and subsequent development of recurrent and/or metastatic disease. Patients with sporadic PPGL were defined as those with negative genetic test results. RESULTS: Prevalence of recurrence among patients with sporadic PPGL (14.7%) was lower (P < 0.001) than for patients with pathogenic variants that activate pseudohypoxia pathways (47.5%), but similar to those with variants that activate kinase pathways (14.9%). Among patients with sporadic recurrent PPGL, 29.1% and 17.7% were respectively diagnosed at least 10 and 15 years after first diagnosis. Multivariable regression analysis showed that a noradrenergic/dopaminergic phenotype (HR 2.73; 95% CI, 1.553-4.802; P < 0.001), larger size (HR 1.82; 95% CI, 1.113-2.962; P = 0.017) and extra-adrenal location (HR 1.79; 95% CI, 1.002-3.187; P = 0.049) of primary tumors were independent predictors of recurrence in sporadic PPGL. CONCLUSION: Patients with sporadic PPGL require long-term follow-up, as supported by the 14.7% prevalence of recurrent disease, including recurrences at more than 10 years after first diagnosis. The nature of follow-up could be individualized according to tumor size, location, and biochemical phenotype.

Atherosclerotic renovascular disease and cardiovascular risk: new concepts.

Renal vascular hypertension (RVHT) is one of the most common secondary forms of hypertension. It is estimated that 1% to 5% of all cases of hypertension can be attributed to RVHT. RVHT is generally caused by progressive stenosis of the renal artery most often due to atherosclerosis, and less often caused by fibromuscular dysplasia. Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) can lead to the development of resistant hypertension and can also cause progressive impairment of renal function. ARAS can also result in serious cardiac complications, such as flash pulmonary edema or congestive heart failure. Most patients with ARAS are characterized by the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction. The disease progression is associated with an increase in left ventricular mass index and cardiac dilatation. Atherosclerotic renovascular disease is recognized as a relevant risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Studies published so far documented ARAS as a predictor of higher cardiovascular risk and showed that mortality after incidental ARAS diagnosis is much higher than that observed in the general population. Proper recognition of the patients with ARAS who would benefit from interventional treatment is crucial, particularly for identification of patients with true resistant hypertension, flash pulmonary edema, and progressive impairment of renal function.

Whole blood methylome-derived features to discriminate endocrine hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Arterial hypertension represents a worldwide health burden and a major risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Hypertension can be primary (primary hypertension, PHT), or secondary to endocrine disorders (endocrine hypertension, EHT), such as Cushing's syndrome (CS), primary aldosteronism (PA), and pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma (PPGL). Diagnosis of EHT is currently based on hormone assays. Efficient detection remains challenging, but is crucial to properly orientate patients for diagnostic confirmation and specific treatment. More accurate biomarkers would help in the diagnostic pathway. We hypothesized that each type of endocrine hypertension could be associated with a specific blood DNA methylation signature, which could be used for disease discrimination. To identify such markers, we aimed at exploring the methylome profiles in a cohort of 255 patients with hypertension, either PHT (n = 42) or EHT (n = 213), and at identifying specific discriminating signatures using machine learning approaches. RESULTS: Unsupervised classification of samples showed discrimination of PHT from EHT. CS patients clustered separately from all other patients, whereas PA and PPGL showed an overall overlap. Global methylation was decreased in the CS group compared to PHT. Supervised comparison with PHT identified differentially methylated CpG sites for each type of endocrine hypertension, showing a diffuse genomic location. Among the most differentially methylated genes, FKBP5 was identified in the CS group. Using four different machine learning methods-Lasso (Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator), Logistic Regression, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machine-predictive models for each type of endocrine hypertension were built on training cohorts (80% of samples for each hypertension type) and estimated on validation cohorts (20% of samples for each hypertension type). Balanced accuracies ranged from 0.55 to 0.74 for predicting EHT, 0.85 to 0.95 for predicting CS, 0.66 to 0.88 for predicting PA, and 0.70 to 0.83 for predicting PPGL. CONCLUSIONS: The blood DNA methylome can discriminate endocrine hypertension, with methylation signatures for each type of endocrine disorder.

Cardiac Phenotypes in Secondary Hypertension: JACC State-of-the-Art Review.

Several forms of secondary hypertension carry a high risk of cardiac morbidity and mortality. Evaluation of cardiac phenotypes in secondary hypertension provides a unique opportunity to study underlying hormonal and biochemical mechanisms affecting the heart. We review the characteristics of cardiac dysfunction in different forms of secondary hypertension and clarify the mechanisms behind the higher prevalence of heart damage in these patients than in those with primary hypertension. Attention to the specific clinical/biochemical phenotypes of these conditions may assist clinicians to screen for and confirm secondary forms of hypertension. Thereby, early signs of heart damage can be recognized and monitored, allowing individualized treatment to delay or prevent evolution toward more advanced disease.

Impact of Arterial Hypertension and Use of Antihypertensive Pharmacotherapy on Mortality in Patients Hospitalized due to COVID-19: The CRACoV-HHS Study.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases including arterial hypertension are common comorbidities among patients hospitalized due to COVID-19. We assessed the influence of preexisting hypertension and its pharmacological treatment on in-hospital mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. METHODS: We studied all consecutive patients who were admitted to the University Hospital in Krakow, Poland, due to COVID-19 between March 2020 and May 2021. Data of 5191 patients (mean age 61.9±16.7 years, 45.2% female) were analyzed. RESULTS: The median hospitalization time was 14 days, and the mortality rate was 18.4%. About a quarter of patients had an established cardiovascular disease including coronary artery disease (16.6%) or stroke (7.6%). Patients with hypertension (58.3%) were older and had more comorbidities than patients without hypertension. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, age above median (64 years), male gender, history of heart failure or chronic kidney disease, and higher C-reactive protein level, but not preexisting hypertension, were independent risk factors for in-hospital death in the whole study group. Patients with hypertension already treated (n=1723) with any first-line antihypertensive drug (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, or thiazide/thiazide-like diuretics) had a significantly lower risk of in-hospital death (odds ratio, 0.25 [95% CI, 0.2-0.3]; P<0.001) compared to nontreated hypertensives (n=1305). CONCLUSIONS: Although the diagnosis of preexisting hypertension per se had no significant impact on in-hospital mortality among patients with COVID-19, treatment with any first-line blood pressure-lowering drug had a profound beneficial effect on survival in patients with hypertension. These data support the need for antihypertensive pharmacological treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.