Common Form Of Hypertension Research Articles

Pathogenesis of Elevated Peripheral Pulse Pressure

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if the cancer don’t get us, the arteriosclerosis must” — —Richard Gordon in The Alarming History of Medicine, 1993 Substantial evidence suggests that arterial remodeling evolves over a life course under the conjoint influence of genes, environmental factors (including vascular risk factors), and lifestyle characteristics (such as diet and physical activity).1 Such arterial remodeling involves multiple vascular territories and is panarterial, ie, it involves all layers of the arterial wall.1 More recently, considerable attention has focused on the physiological aspects of propagation of blood within the aorta, and several important concepts have evolved. First, the aorta is no longer regarded as just a passive conduit that transports blood to the vital organs. Rather, it is a complex organ that remodels in dynamic fashion in response to biomechanical stresses that accumulate over the life course.1 The different segments of the aorta vary in their relations to risk factors, underscoring the heterogeneity in remodeling characteristics across the arterial tree.2 Second, age-associated changes in the aortic wall include fragmentation of the elastin fibers, increased synthesis of collagen, and calcification. The molecular epidemiology of these vascular remodeling changes have been well characterized, and are complex, being mediated via the interaction of vascular smooth muscle cells, integrins, metalloproteinases, endothelial function, and the renin-angiotensin axis, inflammation, and other pathways.1 Third, vascular flow propagation is the combination of steady flow (mean arterial pressure) and pulsatile (pulse pressure) components. The proximal (central) aorta stiffens with age, and these changes are associated with an increase in the pulsatile component (increased central pulse pressure), which in turn places a burden of increased afterload on the left ventricle. There is widespread agreement that elevated pulsatile load is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart …

Hyperthyroidism: A Secondary Cause of Isolated Systolic Hypertension

Isolated systolic hypertension is the most common form of hypertension, especially among patients 50 years or older. What is not appreciated is that there are secondary causes of isolated systolic hypertension. Hyperthyroidism increases systolic blood pressure by decreasing systemic vascular resistance, increasing heart rate, and raising cardiac output. Potential cardiovascular consequences of hyperthyroidism include atrial arrhythmias (especially atrial fibrillation), pulmonary hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, and heart failure. The prevalence of hypertension is greater among hyperthyroid patients than euthyroid patients. Whether there is a blunted nocturnal decline in ambulatory blood pressure among hyperthyroid patients is more controversial. Treatment is associated with a reduction in systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and cardiac output.

Novel therapeutic strategies for reducing arterial stiffness.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2006) 148, 881–883. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706805

Treating Stage 2 Hypertension

The prevalence of hypertension increases with advancing age, due primarily to increases in systolic blood pressure. Systolic hypertension is the most common form of hypertension in individuals over 50 years of age and reflects pathologic decreases in arterial compliance. Systolic blood pressure elevation is a more important risk factor for cardiovascular disease than is diastolic blood pressure elevation. Stage 2 hypertension, defined as blood pressure > or =160/100 mm Hg, is often found in older persons, who are at highest risk for cardiovascular events. In this clinical review, hypertension experts utilize a case study to provide a paradigm for treating older patients with stage 2 hypertension.

What is the most important component of blood pressure: systolic, diastolic or pulse pressure?

Diastolic blood pressure has traditionally been considered the most important component of blood pressure and the primary target of antihypertensive therapy. However, over 30 years ago important epidemiological studies pointed out the importance of systolic blood pressure, and research during the 1990s has strengthened this view. Unlike diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure increases progressively with age, and in the ageing societies elevated systolic pressure is the most common form of hypertension. The characteristic changes of systolic and diastolic blood pressure with age lead to increases in pulse pressure (systolic minus diastolic), which has emerged as a new, potentially independent risk factor. In this review we compare the relative importance of various blood pressure components. Generally, in studies in which readings of systolic and diastolic blood pressure have been compared, systolic blood pressure has been a better predictor of risk. Moreover, isolated systolic hypertension predicts risk better than isolated diastolic hypertension, and the treatment of both isolated systolic hypertension and combined hypertension has reduced cardiovascular events. There are no treatment studies of isolated diastolic hypertension. Pulse pressure reflects stiffening of large arteries and is associated with several cardiovascular risk factors. Pulse pressure also predicts events in epidemiologic studies, but elucidation of an independent role is hampered by the close correlation between pulse pressure and systolic blood pressure. Epidemiological and treatment studies suggest that systolic blood pressure should be the primary target of antihypertensive therapy, although consideration of systolic and diastolic pressure together improves risk prediction. The greatest practical concern at the moment is the undertreatment of hypertension, especially systolic, and total cardiovascular risk.

Analysis of Recent Papers in Hypertension

Analysis of Recent Papers in Hypertension

Analysis of Recent Papers in Hypertension

Analysis of Recent Papers in Hypertension

Hypertension in the elderly: a review of the importance of systolic blood pressure elevation.

The elderly, those 65 years of age and older, will account for 20% of the population by the year 2040. Hypertension affects more than one half of the elderly and its prevalence continues to increase with age. The presence of hypertension confers an increased risk of stroke, congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, end-stage renal disease, and death. Although both diastolic and systolic blood pressure elevations are independently associated with increased cardiovascular risk in the younger individual, as vascular compliance becomes reduced at age 60, an increasing systolic blood pressure and lower diastolic blood pressure (or wider pulse pressure) increase cardiovascular risk in the elderly. Isolated systolic hypertension is the most common form of hypertension seen in the elderly. Lifestyle modification, including weight loss and salt restriction, reduces blood pressure, and may decrease the need for pharmacologic therapy. When the systolic blood pressure is 160 mm Hg or more and the diastolic blood pressure is <90 mm Hg, the initial use of a diuretic-based or calcium channel blocker-based regimen improves outcome. Alpha blocker therapy should not be used as initial monotherapy. Most elderly hypertensives will require two to three drugs to achieve the present blood pressure goal of <140 mm Hg. Caution should be exercised when lowering diastolic pressure to <55 mm Hg in those with isolated systolic hypertension. Although side effects of therapy are no more likely to occur in the elderly than in the younger individual with hypertension, blood pressure reduction should be accomplished gradually.

The need to lower systolic blood pressure.

Systolic hypertension is the most common form of hypertension, especially in individuals aged 60 years or older. Systolic hypertension is a reflection of decreasing compliance of large arteries and is a strong independent risk factor for all cardiovascular diseases. Despite proven benefits of therapy for systolic hypertension, only 25% of patients with this condition are adequately treated to attain target blood pressures. The sixth report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of high blood pressure (JNC VI) recommends the use of diuretics and long-acting dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers as first-line therapy for isolated systolic hypertension. Therapy is also guided by comorbid conditions where certain drugs may have additional benefits. The goal of therapy should be a graded reduction in blood pressure to less than 140/90 mm Hg with lower blood pressure targets in patients with coexistent diabetes or renal failure.

Clinical Advisory Statement. Importance of systolic blood pressure in older Americans.

This clinical advisory statement from the Coordinating Committee of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program is intended to advance and clarify the recommendations of the Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC VI, 1997).1 The advisory addresses several interrelated issues about blood pressure (BP) that affect people approaching the later decades of life. On the basis of the wealth of currently available evidence, the committee now recommends a major paradigm shift in urging that systolic BP become the major criterion for diagnosis, staging, and therapeutic management of hypertension, particularly in middle-aged and older Americans. Several lines of strong evidence support the initiative to emphasize systolic BP. Pathophysiologically, there are strong associations among aging, increased stiffness of large arteries, increased systolic BP, increased pulse pressure, and the prevalence of cardiac and vascular disease. Epidemiologically, isolated systolic hypertension is the most common form of hypertension and is present in approximately two thirds of hypertensive individuals >60 years of age. Diagnostically, classification and staging of hypertension are more precise when systolic rather than diastolic BP is used as the principal criterion. Risk stratification for major complications of hypertension (stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and kidney failure) is actually confounded by the use of diastolic BP; in older people with systolic hypertension, diastolic BP is inversely related to cardiovascular risk. Clinical benefits of treatment of isolated systolic hypertension include reductions in stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, kidney failure, and overall cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. Currently, only 1 in 4 Americans with hypertension falls below JNC VI–recommended values of 140/90 mm Hg in uncomplicated hypertension or 130/85 mm Hg in individuals with kidney disease or diabetes. Hypertension control rates are poorest in older people, primarily as a result of inadequate …

Linkage mapping for hypertension susceptibility genes

Several approaches based on linkage methods have been used to identify susceptibility genes for hypertension. Tests of candidate genes for essential hypertension have generally relied on the combination of linkage and association studies, and have given mostly negative or relatively conflicting results between studies. The detailed exploration of a candidate region, eg, a region of human homology to a principal quantitative trait locus for blood pressure variation in the rat, has led to the identification of linkage to a susceptibility locus for hypertension in humans. Studies of rare Mendelian forms of hypertension have enabled us to identify causative genes in several instances, and to detect mere linkages to chromosomal regions in other instances. Whether molecular variants at these genes are pathophysiologically involved in the common form of hypertension remains to be established. Finally, genome-wide linkage studies for essential hypertension are currently in progress. Confirming linkage to particular regions or genes with a high statistical significance in essential hypertension may prove difficult, therefore, other lines of evidence for a particular gene's role in hypertension susceptibility, derived from either studies in animal models, studies of Mendelian forms of hypertension, or from association studies, may prove to be crucial.

Prevalence and risk factors of hypertension and age-specific blood pressures in five cities: A study of Indian women

Objective: To measure the prevalence of hypertension and age-specific blood pressure in urban populations from five Indian cities. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in six–twenty urban streets in different cities from five different corners of India, using similar methods of sample selection and criteria. There were 3212 randomly selected women from Moradabad ( n=902), Trivandrum ( n=760), Calcutta ( n=365), Nagpur ( n=405) and Bombay ( n=780), aged 25–64 years, inclusive. Evaluation was by a physician and a dietitian, an administered questionnaire, a physical examination and using a sphygmomanometer. The diagnosis of hypertension was based on old World Health Organisation criteria and new World Health Organisation/International Society of Hypertension criteria. The prevalence of hypertension (>140/90 mm Hg) was significantly ( P<0.01) high in Trivandrum, South India (30.7%), and Bombay, West India (28.0%), compared to Moradabad, which is in northern India (22.6%), Nagpur, in central India (24.2%), and Calcutta, in east India (19.1%). Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly higher in Trivandrum and Bombay compared to the other three cities. The overall prevalence of hypertension was 25.6% ( n=823) and isolated diastolic hypertension was the most common form of hypertension (50.5%, n=1506) in the five Indian cities. According to old criteria, the overall prevalence of hypertension (>160/95 mm Hg) was 14.8% ( n=481). Multivariate logistic regression analysis on pooled data from the five cities, after adjustment for age, showed that age (odds ratio 1.16), body mass index (1.68) and obesity were strongly associated with hypertension. A sedentary lifestyle and salt intake were weakly associated and alcohol intake was not a factor with these women.

Hypertension in the elderly: age- and disease-related complications and therapeutic implications.

Effective treatment of hypertension in the elderly requires an understanding of both the progressive course of the disease and the impact of aging on the cardiovascular system, including physiological, genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors. Review of the literature that has attempted to define the impact of an "aging process" on cardiovascular structure and function reveals a diversity of findings and interpretations. However, in general, normotensive elderly subjects exhibit the heart and vascular characteristics of "muted" hypertension, including many features of younger hypertensive patients: cardiac hypertrophy, diminution in resting left ventricular early diastolic filling rate, increased arterial stiffness and aortic impedance, diminution in the baroreceptor reflex, a diminished response to catecholamines and diminished renal blood flow, and an increase in peripheral vascular resistance (PVR). Treatment of elderly hypertensives is more challenging because of the greater likelihood of the presence of concomitant diseases, most importantly, coronary and peripheral atherosclerosis, renal dysfunction, and diabetes mellitus. Isolated systolic hypertension (ISH), the most common form of hypertension in the elderly, has also been clearly shown to be an important predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, including coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, and stroke. Treatment of ISH has been shown to lower systolic pressure safely and effectively in the elderly. By reducing PVR, and possibly the arterial stiffness, and thus the early reflected pulse waves, vasodilators, including calcium antagonists, may lower these three components of arterial impedance, and hence lower the arterial load on the heart. The cardiac hypertrophy and reduced left ventricular filling rate associated with hypertension in older individuals can also be ameliorated, to some extent, by calcium channel blockers.

Sodium-sensitive hypertension. Implications of pathogenesis for therapy.

Fifty to sixty percent of clinical hypertension is sensitive to sodium (Na) intake: known causes, primary aldosteronism, bilateral renal artery stenosis, mild azotemia, acromegaly, and low-renin hypertension account for only a fraction. We have identified a group of normal-renin hypertensives characterized by inability to modulate normally their renal vascular and adrenal responsiveness to angiotensin II. These patients handle shifts in Na intake abnormally, show more positive balance on a high-salt diet, and raise their blood pressure when shifted to a high-salt diet. Renal blood flow does not shift with Na intake, but does respond strikingly to converting enzyme inhibition, which also corrects altered renal and adrenal responsiveness, ability to handle a sodium load, and hypertension. These patients have a striking family history of hypertension; 50% of the offspring of hypertensives show similar features, including a renal vasodilator response to converting enzyme inhibitors or calcium channel blocking agents. Accumulating evidence suggests that the abnormality is inherited and may be the most common form of hypertension.

Determinants of Isolated Systolic Hypertension

Isolated systolic hypertension (ISH), defined as systolic blood pressure of 160 mm Hg or greater when the diastolic pressure is less than 95 mm Hg, is a common form of hypertension among the elderly. We collected incidence and prevalence data on ISH and evaluated several potential factors for its occurrence in the Framingham Heart Study during 16 biennial examinations. The factors evaluated were age, sex, all components of the blood pressure (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, and mean arterial pressure), Metropolitan relative weight, serum cholesterol level, serum uric acid level, cigarette smoking, ventricular heart rate, glucose intolerance, and hematocrit. The population at risk (1687 men and 1992 women) were those members of the Framingham cohort with a systolic blood pressure less than 160 mm Hg in the first four biennial examinations. Results showed ISH in 14.4% of the men and 22.8% of the women. Cumulative incidence rates were 418 per 1000 in men and 533 per 1000 in women. Significant risk factors for ISH were age, sex, all components of the blood pressure, and increased relative weight in women. We conclude that ISH is a highly prevalent disorder. Its major determinants are age, sex, increasing levels of blood pressure, and obesity in women.

Determinants of isolated systolic hypertension

<i>Isolated systolic hypertension</i>(ISH), defined as systolic blood pressure of 160 mm Hg or greater when the diastolic pressure is less than 95 mm Hg, is a common form of hypertension among the elderly. We collected incidence and prevalence data on ISH and evaluated several potential factors for its occurrence in the Framingham Heart Study during 16 biennial examinations. The factors evaluated were age, sex, all components of the blood pressure (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, and mean arterial pressure), Metropolitan relative weight, serum cholesterol level, serum uric acid level, cigarette smoking, ventricular heart rate, glucose intolerance, and hematocrit. The population at risk (1687 men and 1992 women) were those members of the Framingham cohort with a systolic blood pressure less than 160 mm Hg in the first four biennial examinations. Results showed ISH in 14.4% of the men and 22.8% of the women. Cumulative incidence rates were 418 per 1000 in men and 533 per 1000 in women. Significant risk factors for ISH were age, sex, all components of the blood pressure, and increased relative weight in women. We conclude that ISH is a highly prevalent disorder. Its major determinants are age, sex, increasing levels of blood pressure, and obesity in women. (<i>JAMA</i>1988;260:3451-3455)

Cadmium, chromium, and cardiovascular disease.

Observations made in the last 15 years by the author and others concerning the effect of trace metals, particularly cadmium and chromium, on animals and man are reviewed with special reference to hypertension and atherosclerosis. These trace metals come from the soil or sea. Among the topics covered are cadmium hypertension in rats, diabetes mellitus and chromium deficiency, deficiency sources, and possible losses of chromium, and the influence of drinking water on death rates from atherosclerosis. The conclusions are that one common form of hypertension is probably an example of accumulation of cadmium in the kidney and that deficiency of chromium may influence glucose and lipid metabolism and affect atherosclerosis. Other trace elements may contribute also.