Journal of hypertension
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Journal of hypertension · Mar 2014
A reduced heart rate variability is independently associated with a blunted nocturnal blood pressure fall in patients with resistant hypertension.
A blunted nocturnal blood pressure (BP) fall is a marker of worse cardiovascular outcomes, and autonomic imbalance may be involved. The objective was to evaluate the associations between the nocturnal BP fall and heart rate variability (HRV) parameters in resistant hypertension. ⋯ Reduced SDNN and SDANN, two HRV parameters that mainly reflect sympathetic overactivity, were independently associated with a blunted nocturnal BP fall in resistant hypertension. These relationships offer insight into physiopathological mechanisms linking the circadian BP variability to cardiovascular outcomes.
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Journal of hypertension · Mar 2014
Measurement of plasma renin concentration instead of plasma renin activity decreases the positive aldosterone-to-renin ratio tests in treated patients with essential hypertension.
The plasma aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) for the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism is normally calculated with plasma renin activity (PRA) as denominator. However, new direct renin assays that measure plasma renin concentration (PRC) are progressively replacing PRA because these are faster, simpler, and more reproducible. ⋯ The rate of positive tests calculating ARR with PRC is lower than with PRA, the lower rate being found in patients studied in the recumbent position and apparently it is not affected by ongoing antihypertensive treatment.
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Journal of hypertension · Feb 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialDietary sodium influences the effect of mental stress on heart rate variability: a randomized trial in healthy adults.
Dietary sodium influences intermediate physiological traits in healthy adults independent of changes in blood pressure. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that dietary sodium affects cardiac autonomic modulation during mental stress. ⋯ We conclude that autonomic control of HRV at rest and during mental stress is altered by dietary sodium in healthy normotensive young adult men and women.
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Journal of hypertension · Oct 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudySystolic left ventricular function according to left ventricular concentricity and dilatation in hypertensive patients: the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint reduction in hypertension study.
Left ventricular hypertrophy [LVH, high left ventricular mass (LVM)] is traditionally classified as concentric or eccentric based on left ventricular relative wall thickness. We evaluated left ventricular systolic function in a new four-group LVH classification based on left ventricular dilatation [high left ventricular end-diastolic volume (EDV) index and concentricity (LVM/EDV)] in hypertensive patients. ⋯ The new four-group classification of LVH identifies dilated subgroups with reduced left ventricular function among patients currently classified with eccentric or concentric LVH.