The journal of clinical hypertension
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J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) · Jan 2021
Observational StudyHypertension, medications, and risk of severe COVID-19: A Massachusetts community-based observational study.
It remains uncertain whether the hypertension (HT) medications angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) mitigate or exacerbate SARS-CoV-2 infection. We evaluated the association of ACEi and ARB with severe coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) as defined by hospitalization or mortality among individuals diagnosed with COVID-19. We investigated whether these associations were modified by age, the simultaneous use of the diuretic thiazide, and the health conditions associated with medication use. ⋯ In conclusion, cardiovascular-related comorbidities were associated with severe COVID-19 outcomes, especially among patients under age 65. We found no substantial increased risk of severe COVID-19 among patients taking antihypertensive medications. Our findings support recommendations against discontinuing use of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors to prevent severe COVID-19.
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J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) · Jan 2021
Comparison between estimated and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity for cardiovascular and overall mortality prediction.
Pulse wave velocity (PWV) was a good marker of arterial stiffness and could predict cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. Recently, estimated PWV (ePWV) calculated by equations using age and mean blood pressure was reported to be an independent predictor of major CV events. However, there was no study comparing ePWV with brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV) for CV and overall mortality prediction. ⋯ In conclusion, both ePWV and baPWV were independent predictors for long-term CV and overall mortality in univariable and multivariable analysis. Besides, ePWV had a better additive predictive value for CV mortality than baPWV and similar predictive value for overall mortality as baPWV. Therefore, ePWV obtained without equipment deserved to be calculated for overall mortality prediction and better CV survival prediction.
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J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) · Dec 2020
Review Meta AnalysisComparative efficacy of different types of antihypertensive drugs in reversing left ventricular hypertrophy as determined with echocardiography in hypertensive patients: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Reversing left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) can reduce the incidence of adverse cardiovascular events. However, there is no clear superiority-inferiority differentiation between angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB), beta-blockers (BB), calcium channel blockers (CCB), and diuretics in reversing LVH in hypertensive patients. To provide further evidence for choosing the optimal antihypertensive drug for improving LVH, we performed a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) based on the Cochrane library database, Embase, and Pubmed, and identified 49 studies involving 5402 patients that were eligible for inclusion. ⋯ Matched comparison of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RASi) showed that the effect of ACEI in reducing left ventricular mass index (LVMi) was not effective as that of ARB (MD -3.72, 95%CI -7.52 to -0.11). The surface under the cumulative ranking for each intervention indicated that the use of ARB was more effective among the different types of antihypertensive drugs (97%). This network meta-analysis revealed that the use of ARB in antihypertensive therapy could achieve better efficacy in reversing LVH in hypertensive patients.
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J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) · Oct 2020
Comparative StudyIncreased cardiovascular death rates in a COVID-19 low prevalence area.
The province of L'Aquila (Central Italy) was marginally affected by COVID-19 pandemic, but changes in health care seeking behaviors were noticed. The authors retrospectively analyzed de-identified data concerning all-cause and cardiovascular hospitalizations, cardiovascular acute phase treatments, and in-hospital cardiovascular deaths in the province of L'Aquila from January 1 to March 31, in 2020 and 2019. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) comparing 2020 and 2019 for admissions/procedures were calculated through Poisson regression. ⋯ Less daily cardiovascular procedures were also performed (IRR: 0.74, P = .009). A disproportionate decrease in the number of procedures was observed in relation to cardiovascular hospitalizations in 2020 (-5.5%, P = .001). Unlike all-cause mortality, more in-hospital cardiovascular deaths occurred in March 2020 compared with March 2019 (+6.8%, P = .048).