[Arterial hypertension, antihypertensive therapy, and visit-to-visit blood pressure variability of elderly nursing home residents]. / Arterielle Hypertonie, antihypertensive Therapie und Visit-to-visit-Blutdruckvariabilität bei älteren Pflegeheimbewohnern.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Arterial hypertension is a common health problem in older nursing home residents (NHR). The aim of this study was to prospectively analyze blood pressure (BP) patterns, antihypertensive therapy, and visit-to-visit BP variability in NHR. METHODS: BP, visit-to-visit variability (estimated by standard deviation of means) of systolic BP (SBP) were analyzed in 12 nursing homes in Germany. NHR who were at least 65 years old and had no moderate or severe dementia were studied at baseline (T0), after 3 and 6 months, respectively. RESULTS: BP data were available for 177 NHR (mean age 83.8, 69.5% female) at T0.  A total of 90.4% NHR was affected by hypertension. Mean systolic/diastolic blood pressure was 130,1/75,5 mmHg. BP values of ≥ 140/90 mmHg were found in 29.9%, while 33.9% of NHR exhibited SBP values < 120 mmHg. At least one antihypertensive drug was used in 84.2%, and 40.7% of NHR were treated with at least three different drugs. The median of the visit-to-visit SBP variability was 9.05 (Min. 0, Max. 35.78); an influence of age, sex, and type of antihypertensive medication was not found. CONCLUSION: Elderly German NHR showed a high prevalence of hypertension and BP was controlled in 80%. However, a large proportion received intensive BP lowering pharmacotherapy and exhibited SBP values clearly lower than recommend target values between 140 and 150 mmHg particularly for elderly patients over 80 years. Thus, to avoid overtreatment BP should be monitored closely to adapt antihypertensive therapy in this population.

[Restriction of salt intake in the whole population promises great long-term benefits]. / Die Beschränkung der Kochsalzaufnahme in der Gesamtbevölkerung verspricht langfristig grossen Nutzen.

Restricting salt intake not only leads to a decrease of blood pressure and a reduction in the incidence of arterial hypertension but also to a fall in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. But high sodium intake is not only a risk factor for hypertension but also for cardiovascular diseases. Moderate reduction of daily salt intake in the entire population of Germany from the present level of 8-10 mg to 5-6 mg is of great benefit for disease load and to the economy. Any possible risk for a few groups of persons is predictable and can be coped with. General sodium reduction cannot be achieved only by individual advice, instruction or information campaigns but requires a reduction in the sodium content of industrially processed foods, in fast-food chains, restaurants and canteens because they supply 80% of total daily sodium intake. To achieve the target of restricting the sodium intake of the whole population it is recommended that an interdisciplinary and interprofessional task force, "Less salt for all" be established. This is to bring together the expertise of scientific societies and institutions that see their main task in the reduction of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity by primary prevention. Individual prevention in patients at risk can be very significantly improved by population-related preventive measures. These include, in addition to general limitation of sodium intake, continuing change in lifestyle.

[Malignant hypertension in a single kidney with doubled blood vessel supply]. / Maligne Hypertonie bei Einzelniere mit doppelter Gefässversorgung.

HISTORY: A 72-year-old male in acute renal failure, intubated and ventilated, was transferred to our hospital. He had a 30-years history of severe hypertension and signs of general atherosclerosis. 25 years ago, the left kidney had been removed because of an ischaemic renal infarction due to a renal artery stenosis. Blood pressure-monitoring showed excessive high systolic (up to 250 mmHg) and diastolic (up to 160 mmHg) blood pressure. INVESTIGATIONS: The MRI-scan revealed a single right kidney with a main artery and an accessory one, both with a severe ostial stenosis. The resistance index (RI) value, measured by duplex ultrasonography was 44. DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT: In two interventional procedures both stenosed arteries were dilated a stent was applied. Afterwards blood pressure and renal function improved. CONCLUSIONS: Severe hypertension can be caused by a renal artery stenosis. It can be diagnosed by duplex ultrasonographic studies, which has the advantage of determining the RI and therefore identifying patients with no improvement of blood pressure or renal function after resolving the stenosis. The angioplasty with or without a stent is as successful as an operation but has less complications.

Telmisartan vs losartan plus hydrochlorothiazide in the treatment of mild-to-moderate essential hypertension--a randomised ABPM study.

The objective of this prospective, randomised, open-label, blinded-end point parallel-group, multicentre study was to show that telmisartan 80 mg is not inferior to a fixed-dose combination of losartan 50 mg/hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) 12.5 mg in patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension. The criterion for noninferiority was a treatment difference of < or =3.0 mmHg in the reduction of 24-h mean ambulatory diastolic blood pressure (DBP) from the end of the 4-week placebo washout period to the end of the 6-week active treatment period. In the intent-to-treat analysis, the mean reduction in 24-h DBP was 8.3+/-6.7 mmHg among telmisartan-treated patients (n=332) and 10.3+/-6.3 mmHg among losartan/HCTZ-treated patients (n=350). The mean adjusted difference in 24-h DBP between the two treatment groups was 1.9 mmHg, allowing rejection of the a priori null hypothesis of a treatment difference of >3 mmHg. The reduction in mean 24-h systolic blood pressure was 13.2+/-10.2 mmHg with telmisartan and 17.1+/-10.3 mmHg with losartan/HCTZ. Both drugs provided effective control over the 24-h dosing interval. Analyses of morning (0600-1159) ambulatory blood pressure monitoring DBP means and trough cuff DBP confirmed the noninferiority hypothesis of the protocol for telmisartan 80 mg vs losartan 50 mg/HCTZ 12.5 mg. The reductions in office blood pressures measured at trough in patients treated with telmisartan were -16.3/-9.6 and -18.5/-11.1 mmHg in the patients treated with losartan/HCTZ (difference -2.4/-1.2 mmHg). There were no differences between the side-effect profiles of the two treatments.

[Aldosterone receptor antagonists in heart failure. Rightly brought back from retirement]. / Aldosteron-Rezeptorantagonisten bei Herzinsuffizienz. Zu Recht aus der Versenkung geholt.

There is growing evidence that aldosterone plays an important role in the development of endorgan-damage e.g. vascular and cardiac fibrosis, remodeling and endothelial dysfunction. Aldosterone-antagonism has become a novel therapeutic principle beyond its sodium retention properties in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. In patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction spironolactone could reduce death and hospitalisation. A new selective aldosterone antagonist, eplerenone, was effective in patients with left ventricular dysfunction after myocardial infarction added to optimal medical therapy.

[When blood pressure control is a problem. Refractory hypertension is rare]. / Wenn die Blutdruckeinstellung Probleme macht. Echte Therapieresistenz ist selten!

Hypertension is considered refractory when the use of three pharmacologically different antihypertensives (included a diuretic, a sympathetic blocker and a vasodilator) given at maximum dose fails to lower the blood pressure to below 140/90 mmHg. In the event of isolated systolic hypertension, the value should be reduced to below 140 mmHg. A truly refractory form may be assumed in some 2-5% of all hypertensives, and must be differentiated from a pseudo form in which such factors as counter-regulatory mechanisms, inadequate use of general measures, inadequate antihypertensive therapy, interactions with other drugs, or secondary hypertension may play a role. Refractory patients in whom the underlying cause cannot be identified should be referred to an appropriate specialist. Diuretic treatment should first be optimized and antihypertensive doses maximized (with consideration being given to side effects). Further substances such as minoxidil in combination with a beta-blocker and a diuretic may be used.

INVEST: results of combined strategies to control blood pressure.

The treatment of hypertension continues to be challenging due to the lack of understanding regarding underlying modulators of blood pressure as well as co-existing conditions such as atherosclerosis and diabetes. This has led to uncertainty regarding treatment strategy and intensity. The INternational VErapamil SR/trandolapril STudy (INVEST) is designed to evaluate the relationship between cardiovascular risk and blood pressure modulators. Based on a review of preliminary data, it appears that the treatment regimen used in the INVEST trial has been more successful than other studies at controlling systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and pulse pressure. These preliminary data from INVEST suggest that a high proportion of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with hypertension should receive combination therapy to achieve contemporary blood pressure targets.

Effects of individual risk factors on the incidence of cardiovascular events in the treated hypertensive patients of the Hypertension Optimal Treatment Study. HOT Study Group.

BACKGROUND: The Hypertension Optimal Treatment (HOT) Study has provided information about cardiovascular events in 18790 hypertensives, subjected to pronounced blood pressure (BP) lowering for a mean of 3.8 years. The HOT study data have subsequently been analysed after stratification of the patients according to global cardiovascular risk, and it has been found that, despite intensive blood pressure lowering in all risk strata, morbid event rates increased with increasing risk stratum. OBJECTIVES: Previously analysed global risk strata were based on combinations of risk factors. The analyses presented here were intended to provide information on the relative role that the presence of each individual factor may have in increasing cardiovascular risk, despite good BP control. METHODS: Risk ratios (RR) for patients with and those without a risk factor were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using a Cox proportional hazard model, and adjusted for all variables except the one under examination. RESULTS: For all risk factors considered and for all types of event, RR were always greater than 1, indicating a greater risk in the presence, compared with that in the absence of each factor. The male gender was a statistically significant risk for cardiovascular (CV) events, CV and total mortality and particularly for myocardial infarction (MI); age > or = 65 years for CV events, stroke, CV and particularly total mortality; smoking for all events analysed, but particularly for total mortality (twice higher in smokers than in non-smokers); high serum cholesterol (> 6.8 mmol/l) for CV events, MI and CV mortality; high serum creatinine (> 155 micromol/l) for CV events, stroke, CV and total mortality; diabetes for CV events, stroke, total mortality and particularly CV mortality; and ischaemic heart disease for all events analysed. Adjusted RR were often close to or greater than 2. CONCLUSIONS: Each of the risk factors considered was found to be an important cause of residual risk, despite good BP control. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing other correctable risk factors, e.g. smoking, hypercholesterolaemia and diabetes, as well as rigorous control of blood pressure, and of initiating antihypertensive therapy before cardiovascular and renal damage becomes manifest.

Antihypertensive effects of valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide combination in essential hypertension.

Fixed-dose combination therapy has received increased interest since publication of JNC-VI report and WHO/ISH guidelines 1999. We compared in a randomized, double-blind study the efficacy and tolerability of valsartan 80 mg combined with hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) 12.5 mg to monotherapy with either HCTZ 12.5 mg or 25 mg in patients with essential hypertension inadequately controlled by previous HCTZ 12.5 mg monotherapy. Two hundred and seventeen patients whose blood pressure (BP) control remained poor (95 mmHg < or = sitting diastolic BP < 115 mmHg) after a 4-week single-blind period with HCTZ 12.5 mg were randomized to receive either combination therapy with valsartan 80 mg plus HCTZ 12.5 mg (V/HCTZ) or monotherapy with HCTZ 12.5 mg or HCTZ 25 mg for 8 weeks. Reduction of sitting trough diastolic BP between baseline and week 8 as well as tolerability was evaluated. Reduction in trough diastolic BP was most pronounced in the V/HCTZ group (-11.3 mmHg) and significantly greater than in the HCTZ 12.5 mg group (-2.9 mmHg, p < 0.001) and the HCTZ 25 mg group (-5.7 mmHg, p < 0.001). Tolerability of study medication was comparable between all three groups. In conclusion, switching to V/HCTZ combination therapy provides an additional lowering of BP compared to dosage increase of the thiazide in patients with BP insufficiently controlled by HCTZ 12.5 mg monotherapy.

Influence of gender and age on preventing cardiovascular disease by antihypertensive treatment and acetylsalicylic acid. The HOT study. Hypertension Optimal Treatment.

OBJECTIVE: We have assessed the influence of gender and age on the main outcome results of the Hypertension Optimal Treatment (HOT) study. DESIGN AND INTERVENTIONS: The aims of the HOT study were to study the relationship between three levels of target office diastolic blood pressure (BP) (< or = 90, < or = 85 or < or = 80 mmHg) and cardiovascular (CV) events in hypertensive patients, and to examine the effects of 75 mg acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) daily versus placebo. SETTING: Outpatient clinical trial in 26 countries. PATIENTS: A total of 18790 patients (mean age 61.5 years, range 50-80) were randomized and followed for an average of 3.8 years until 71051 patient-years and 683 events had occurred. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: CV death, myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke. RESULTS: There were significantly fewer MIs in those in the lower diastolic BP target groups (3.0 versus 1.2 and 1.7 MIs/1000 patient-years, P for trend = 0.034) in women (n = 8883), whereas the similar but smaller trend (4.1 versus 4.1 and 3.4 MIs/1000 patient-years) was not statistically significant in men nor in the subgroup analysis of younger and older subjects. The effect of ASA on preventing MI was not influenced by age < 65 years (P= 0.02) or age > or = 65 years (P = 0.04) but was influenced by gender (P = 0.38 in women and P = 0.001 in men, lowered by 42% corresponding to a reduction from 5.0 to 2.9 MIs/1000 patient-years). CONCLUSIONS: The data of this HOT study sub-analysis suggest somewhat differentiated optimal gender- and age-dependent effects of anti-hypertensive and anti-platelet therapies; lowering of diastolic BP to about 80 mmHg in hypertensive women and, in addition, the administration of 75 mg of ASA to well-treated hypertensive men appear to effectively reduce the most common cardiovascular complication, i.e. myocardial infarction, in patients with essential hypertension.

[Isolated systolic hypertension as risk factor. Also in this case lowering blood pressure makes sense]. / Risikofaktor isolierte systolische Hypertonie. Auch hier macht die Blutdrucksenkung Sinn.

Elevated diastolic as well as elevated systolic blood pressure substantially contributes to the increase of cardiovascular risk. Conclusive results have proven that lowering diastolic and/or systolic blood pressure can reduce cardiovascular risk. There is evidence that not only the absolute values for diastolic and systolic blood pressure alone but also the pulse pressure as an additional indicator of cardiovascular risk have to be considered. The prevalence of isolated systolic hypertension increases with age. Remodeling of the arterial wall with increase of collagen and decrease of elastic fibers are leading to an impaired compliance. Decreased compliance and acceleration of the pulse wave velocity can elevate systolic and lower diastolic blood pressure. Cardiac stress and pulse pressure in consequence will rise. In elderly patients there is a strong correlation between cardiovascular mortality and morbidity and systolic blood pressure. Antihypertensive therapy is able to lower cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension with a predominant risk reduction for stroke.

Compliance with aspirin or placebo in the Hypertension Optimal Treatment (HOT) study.

OBJECTIVE: The Hypertension Optimal Treatment (HOT) study is a large, prospective trial aimed at defining the level of diastolic blood pressure required during anti-hypertensive therapy in order to achieve maximal protection against cardiovascular complications. A further aim is to assess the effects on morbidity and mortality of a 75 mg daily dose of aspirin compared with placebo. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Compliance with double-blind administration of aspirin or placebo added to anti-hypertensive treatment was evaluated for 1 year in a subset (n = 530) of the study population (n = 18 790) by placing the medication in a container closed with an electronic cap that records precisely the time of each opening. RESULTS: The 1-year compliance rate (percentage of days with one opening per day) could be assessed in 501 patients. It averaged 78.3 +/- 25% in aspirin-treated patients (n = 236, mean +/- SD), compared with 78.5 +/- 25% in patients having received placebo (n = 265), and was not influenced by age, sex or country (Germany, Italy, Switzerland, UK). The compliance rate was also similar irrespective of whether the patients had reached their target blood pressure, but was significantly better during the first than the second 6-month monitoring period (84.1 +/- 22% versus 72.3 +/- 32%, n = 501). CONCLUSIONS: The high rate of compliance with aspirin or placebo observed in the HOT study suggests that the patients were highly motivated and may account for the unusually good blood pressure control achieved in this trial during long-term anti-hypertensive treatment.