Effects of acetylsalicylic acid alone or with omega-3 in patients with chronic coronary artery disease

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Antiplatelet agents such as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) play a prominent role in preventing atherothrombosis. However, low-responsive patients who will not benefit from an increased dosage of this drug, which can cause bleeding and gastrointestinal irritation, need to be identified. Drugs such as omega-3 fatty acids, which enhance the vasodilating condition and diminish platelet aggregation, can potentiate the anti-aggregating effects of ASA, avoiding its side effects. Thus, we assessed the alternative use of 200mg/day of ASA and 100mg/day of this drug combined with 1g of omega-3 in 152 patients with chronic coronary artery disease. METHODS: Our analysis included platelet function (ASPItest), TBX2 concentrations (ELISA), and SNPs polymorphisms in the rs3842787 and rs3842798 regions of the PTGS1 gene of the COX-1 enzyme and the rs5918 region of the ITGB3 gene of the fibrinogen's receptor subunit glycoprotein IIIa. RESULTS: ASPItest detected 38 non-responders. The reduction of ASPItest values was more significant in this group than in responders and fell to levels of responders in non-responders of the 200mg/day treatment. A rare allele of rs3842787 is associated with a worse ASPItest response, and the rare allele of the rs5918 polymorphism with a worse response related to TBX2 concentration. Both treatments showed no statistically significant difference in hematuria or bleeding, constituting safe treatment alternatives, and omega-3 treatment reduced monocyte levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our results underscore the usefulness of pharmacogenetics for personalized treatments, avoiding gastrointestinal effects and undesirable bleeding.

Increased dietary sodium is related to severity of obstructive sleep apnea in patients with resistant hypertension and hyperaldosteronism.

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a strong and independent risk factor for the development of hypertension, particularly resistant hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Patients with resistant hypertension have a high prevalence of OSA in association with elevated aldosterone levels, high salt intake, and salt-sensitive BP. The objective of this study was to determine whether dietary salt and aldosterone are associated with severity of OSA in patients with resistant hypertension. METHODS: Ninety-seven patients with resistant hypertension were prospectively evaluated by overnight polysomnography and 24-h urinary sodium and aldosterone levels while maintaining their usual diet. Hyperaldosteronism was defined as a plasma renin activity of < 1 ng/mL/h and urinary aldosterone level of ≥ 12 µg/24 h. RESULTS: Overall, patients' mean clinic BP was 156.3 ± 22.4/88.9 ± 13.3 mm Hg while taking an average of 4.3 ± 1.1 antihypertensive medications. Prevalence of OSA was 77.3%. Twenty-eight (28.9%) patients had hyperaldosteronism. Urinary sodium level was an independent predictor of severity of OSA only in patients with hyperaldosteronism. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that dietary salt is related to the severity of OSA in patients with resistant hypertension and hyperaldosteronism. The results support dietary salt restriction as a treatment strategy for reduction of OSA severity in these patients.

Heart failure in the elderly.

The aging of the population is, currently, a major phenomenon, drawing the attention of a number of investigators. The significant increase of life expectancies over the past few decades, in addition to social and economic consequences, has lead to a major change in the morbidity and mortality profile of elders. Heart failure (HF) is a condition in which the heart can not pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. HF is predominantly a disorder of the elderly with rates increasing exponentially. The prevalence of HF approximately doubles with each decade of life. As people live longer, the occurrence of HF rises, as well as other conditions that complicate its treatment. Impaired heart function implies a reduced duration of survival. Fortunately, many factors that can prevent HF and improve outcome are known and can be applied at any stage. This review emphasizes the importance of factors inherent in aging itself, focusing on heart disease, particularly as a disease of aging, can help critically refine management of this acute and chronic disease, as well as foster preventive strategies to reduce the incidence of this common malady.

Heart failure in the elderly

The aging of the population is, currently, a major phenomenon, drawing the attention of a number of investigators. The significantincrease of life expectancies over the past few decades, in addition to social and economic consequences, has lead to a major change in themorbidity and mortality profile of elders. Heart failure (HF) is a condition in which the heart can not pump enough blood to meet the body'sneeds. HF is predominantly a disorder of the elderly with rates increasing exponentially. The prevalence of HF approximately doubles witheach decade of life. As people live longer, the occurrence of HF rises, as well as other conditions that complicate its treatment. Impaired heartfunction implies a reduced duration of survival. Fortunately, many factors that can prevent HF and improve outcome are known and can beapplied at any stage. This review emphasizes the importance of factors inherent in aging itself, focusing on heart disease, particularly as adisease of aging, can help critically refine management of this acute and chronic disease, as well as foster preventive strategies to reduce theincidence of this common malady.

[Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and renal effects]. / Anti-inflamatórios não esteroides: Efeitos cardiovasculares, cérebro-vasculares e renais.

The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most often prescribed drugs in the world. This heterogeneous class of drugs includes aspirin and several other selective or non-selective cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors. The non-selective NSAIDs are the oldest ones and are called traditional or conventional NSAIDs. The selective NSAIDs are called COX-2 inhibitors. In recent years, the safety of NSAID use in clinical practice has been questioned, especially that of the selective COX-2 inhibitors. The evidence on the increase in cardiovascular risk with the use of NSAIDs is still scarce, due to the lack of randomized and controlled studies with the capacity of evaluating relevant cardiovascular outcomes. However, the results of prospective clinical trials and meta-analyses indicate that the selective COX-2 inhibitors present important adverse cardiovascular effects, which include increased risk of myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, heart failure, kidney failure and arterial hypertension. The risk of these adverse effects is higher among patients with a previous history of cardiovascular disease or those at high risk to develop it. In these patients, the use of COX-2 inhibitors must be limited to those for which there is no appropriate alternative and, even in these cases, only at low doses and for as little time as possible. Although the most frequent adverse effects have been related to the selective COX-2 inhibition, the absence of selectiveness for this isoenzyme does not completely eliminate the risk of cardiovascular events; therefore, all drugs belonging to the large spectrum of NSAIDs should only be prescribed after consideration of the risk/benefit balance.

Anti-inflamatórios não esteroides: Efeitos cardiovasculares, cérebro-vasculares e renais / Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and renal effects

Os anti-inflamatórios não esteroides (AINEs) encontram-se entre os medicamentos mais prescritos em todo o mundo. Essa classe heterogênea de fármacos inclui a aspirina e vários outros agentes inibidores da ciclo-oxigenase (COX), seletivos ou não. Os AINEs não seletivos são os mais antigos, e designados como tradicionais ou convencionais. Os AINEs seletivos para a COX-2 são designados COXIBEs. Nos últimos anos, tem sido questionada a segurança do uso dos AINEs na prática clínica, particularmente dos inibidores seletivos da COX-2. As evidências sobre o aumento do risco cardiovascular com o uso de AINEs são ainda incompletos, pela ausência de ensaios randomizados e controlados com poder para avaliar desfechos cardiovasculares relevantes. Entretanto, os resultados de estudos clínicos prospectivos e de meta-análises indicam que os inibidores seletivos da COX-2 exercem importantes efeitos cardiovasculares adversos, que incluem aumento do risco de infarto do miocárdio, acidente vascular cerebral, insuficiência cardíaca, insuficiência renal e hipertensão arterial. O risco desses efeitos adversos é maior em pacientes com história prévia de doença cardiovascular ou com alto risco para desenvolvê-la. Nesses pacientes, o uso de inibidores da COX-2 deve ser limitado àqueles para os quais não há alternativa apropriada e, mesmo assim, somente em doses baixas e pelo menor tempo necessário. Embora os efeitos adversos mais frequentes tenham sido relacionados à inibição seletiva da COX-2, a ausência de seletividade para essa isoenzima não elimina completamente o risco de eventos cardiovasculares, de modo que todos os fármacos do largo espectro dos AINEs somente devem ser prescritos após consideração do balanço risco/benefício.

The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most often prescribed drugs in the world. This heterogeneous class of drugs includes aspirin and several other selective or non-selective cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors. The non-selective NSAIDs are the oldest ones and are called traditional or conventional NSAIDs. The selective NSAIDs are called COX-2 inhibitors. In recent years, the safety of NSAID use in clinical practice has been questioned, especially that of the selective COX-2 inhibitors. The evidence on the increase in cardiovascular risk with the use of NSAIDs is still scarce, due to the lack of randomized and controlled studies with the capacity of evaluating relevant cardiovascular outcomes. However, the results of prospective clinical trials and meta-analyses indicate that the selective COX-2 inhibitors present important adverse cardiovascular effects, which include increased risk of myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, heart failure, kidney failure and arterial hypertension. The risk of these adverse effects is higher among patients with a previous history of cardiovascular disease or those at high risk to develop it. In these patients, the use of COX-2 inhibitors must be limited to those for which there is no appropriate alternative and, even in these cases, only at low doses and for as little time as possible. Although the most frequent adverse effects have been related to the selective COX-2 inhibition, the absence of selectiveness for this isoenzyme does not completely eliminate the risk of cardiovascular events; therefore, all drugs belonging to the large spectrum of NSAIDs should only be prescribed after consideration of the risk/benefit balance.