Hypertension
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Limited research suggests a relationship between restless legs syndrome and hypertension. We, therefore, assessed the relationship between restless legs syndrome and hypertension among middle-aged women. This is a cross-sectional study including 65 544 women (aged 41-58 years) participating in Nurses' Health Study II. ⋯ The adjusted odds ratios for women who reported restless legs symptoms 5 to 14 times per month and ≥15 times per month were 1.06 (95% CI: 0.94-1.18) and 1.41 (95% CI: 1.24-1.61) respectively, compared with those without the symptoms (P trend: <0.0001). Greater frequency of restless legs symptoms was associated with higher concurrent systolic and diastolic blood pressures (P trend: <0.0001 for both). Women with restless legs syndrome have a higher prevalence of hypertension, and this prevalence increases with more frequent restless legs symptoms.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Treatment intensification in a hypertension telemanagement trial: clinical inertia or good clinical judgment?
Clinical inertia represents a barrier to hypertension management. As part of a hypertension telemanagement trial designed to overcome clinical inertia, we evaluated study physician reactions to elevated home blood pressures. We studied 296 patients from the Hypertension Intervention Nurse Telemedicine Study who received telemonitoring and study physician medication management. ⋯ This telemedicine intervention targeting clinical inertia did not guarantee treatment intensification in response to elevated home blood pressures. However, when physicians did not intensify treatment, it was because blood pressure was closer to an acceptable threshold, and repeat blood pressure elevations occurred less frequently. Failure to intensify treatment when home blood pressure is elevated may, at times, represent good clinical judgment, not clinical inertia.
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Percutaneous renal sympathetic denervation by radiofrequency energy has been reported to reduce blood pressure (BP) by the reduction of renal sympathetic efferent and afferent signaling. We evaluated the effects of this procedure on BP and sleep apnea severity in patients with resistant hypertension and sleep apnea. We studied 10 patients with refractory hypertension and sleep apnea (7 men and 3 women; median age: 49.5 years) who underwent renal denervation and completed 3-month and 6-month follow-up evaluations, including polysomnography and selected blood chemistries, and BP measurements. ⋯ In conclusion, catheter-based renal sympathetic denervation lowered BP in patients with refractory hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea, which was accompanied by improvement of sleep apnea severity. Interestingly, there are also accompanying improvements in glucose tolerance. Renal sympathetic denervation may conceivably be a potentially useful option for patients with comorbid refractory hypertension, glucose intolerance, and obstructive sleep apnea, although further studies are needed to confirm these proof-of-concept data.
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Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We investigated myocardial perfusion using real-time quantitative myocardial contrast echocardiography with concurrent assessment of macrovascular and microvascular endothelial dysfunction in normotensive subjects with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea, who were compared with hypertensive and healthy subjects, as well as the impact of continuous positive airway pressure treatment on obstructive sleep apnea subjects. We measured flow (hyperemia)-mediated dilation and response to glyceryl trinitrate of brachial artery (ultrasound), cutaneous perfusion responses to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside (laser Doppler), pulse wave velocity, and circulating endothelial and endothelial progenitor cells in a total of 108 subjects (n=36 each of matched obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, and healthy cohorts). ⋯ Both hypertensive and obstructive sleep apnea patients showed significant improvements in myocardial perfusion (P<0.01), brachial artery reactivity (P<0.001), and cutaneous perfusion responses (P<0.001) after 26 weeks of continuous positive airway pressure therapy. There were no significant differences in pulse wave velocity and endothelial cells across the 3 groups. Concomitant endothelial dysfunction and impaired myocardial perfusion are present in otherwise normal subjects with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea, and effective continuous positive airway pressure treatment reverses many of these macrovascular/microvascular abnormalities.
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Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by pulmonary vascular remodeling leading to right ventricular (RV) hypertrophy and failure. Intralipid (ILP), a source of parenteral nutrition for patients, contains γ-linolenic acid and soy-derived phytoestrogens that are protective for lungs and heart. We, therefore, investigated the therapeutic potential of ILP in preventing and rescuing monocrotaline-induced PAH and RV dysfunction. ⋯ In preexisting severe PAH, ILP attenuated most lung and RV abnormalities. The beneficial effects of ILP in PAH seem to result from the interplay of various factors, among which preservation and/or stimulation of angiogenesis, suppression and/or reversal of inflammation, fibrosis and hypertrophy, in both lung and RV, appear to be major contributors. In conclusion, ILP not only prevents the development of PAH and RV failure but also rescues preexisting severe PAH.