Hypertension: once primary, always primary?

Three patients diagnosed with primary hypertension suddenly developed hard-to-treat blood pressure after several years of stable blood pressure. One patient, a man aged 48 years, had developed a renal artery stenosis, which had not been present five years earlier. The other two patients, a man aged 57 years and a woman aged 27 years, were diagnosed with an aldosterone-producing adenoma of the left adrenal gland and a pheochromocytoma, respectively. In patients with previously stable blood pressure, sudden derangement may be due to secondary hypertension on top of the pre-existing primary hypertension. A thorough history and physical examination together with limited laboratory investigations usually leads the way to the correct diagnosis.     

Pulmonary Hypertension During Pregnancy in New York State, 2003–2014

Maternal and Child Health Journal - Objectives This study examined the prevalence and temporal trends in (a) pulmonary hypertension (PH) during pregnancy and (b) mortality and morbidity during...     

Is Migration Affecting Prevalence,Awareness, Treatment and Control of Hypertension of Men in Kerala,India?

We assessed hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment and control among male gulf migrant and non-migrant workers in Kerala state of India. We did a cross sectional survey of 191 migrant and 193 non-migrant men aged 25–64 years selected using a multistage random sampling method. Using World Health Organization STEPS approach, we collected information on demographics, STEP 1 variables and measured STEP-2 variables. Multivariate analysis was used to find the relation between migration and hypertension. Age adjusted hypertension prevalence was 57.6 % among migrants and 31.7 % among non-migrants (p < 0.05). Migrants were more likely to be hypertensive (OR 3.00, 95 % CI 1.83–4.94) than non-migrants after adjusting for age, STEP 1 and STEP 2 variables. Though not statistically significant (p = 0.109), awareness of hypertension was lower among migrants (43.5 %) compared to non migrants (56.9 %). Treatment (migrants: 34 %, non-migrants: 53 %, p < 0.05) and control (migrants: 12 %, non-migrants: 48 %, p < 0.001) of hypertension were lower among migrants. Greater attention to improve the treatment and control of hypertension among migrants is warranted in this population.     

Race,Ethnicity, and Self-Reported Hypertension: Analysis of Data From the National Health Interview Survey, 1997–2005

Objective. I estimated the association between race and self-reported hypertension among Hispanics and non-Hispanics and determined whether this association was stronger among non-Hispanics.Methods. With data from the 1997–2005 National Health Interview Survey, I used logistic regression to estimate the strength of the association between race/ethnicity and self-reported hypertension among US adults.Results. The overall prevalence of self-reported hypertension was 24.5%, with lower prevalence among Hispanics (16.7%) than among non-Hispanics (25.2%; P < .01). Blacks, regardless of ethnicity, had the highest prevalence. Compared with non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks had 48% (odds ratio [OR] = 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.41, 1.55) greater odds of reporting hypertension; Hispanic Whites had 23% (OR = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.76, 0.88) lower odds. There was no difference in the strength of the association between race and self-reported hypertension observed among non-Hispanics (OR for Blacks = 1.47) and among Hispanics (OR for Blacks = 1.20; for interaction, P = 0.43).Conclusions. The previously reported hypertension advantage of Hispanics holds for Hispanic Whites only. As Hispanics continue their rapid growth in the United States, race may have important implications on their disease burden, because most US health disparities are driven by race and its socially patterned experiences.Hypertension affects more than 65 million US adults¹ and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD).^2,3 The prevalence of hypertension in the US population increased by 30% between the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988–1994) and NHANES 1999–2000.¹ Previous studies have consistently reported that, compared with non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanics have a lower prevalence of hypertension and that non-Hispanic Blacks have a higher prevalence of hypertension.^1,2,4–7 However, these studies focused mostly on Mexican Americans, ignoring the heterogeneity of the Hispanic population. For example, because of their colonization patterns, Hispanics can be of any race (i.e., White, Black, or some other race).⁸ Despite the impact of race on health in US society^9–11 and the projected growth of the Hispanic population,^12–14 there is a dearth of knowledge addressing the relationship between race and health among Hispanics. However, the evidence that does exist parallels findings observed among non-Hispanics: Hispanic Blacks experience worse health outcomes than do Hispanic Whites.^15–18 Thus, the investigation of race and health outcomes in Hispanics is imperative.Hypertension has been attributed to obesity, sodium and potassium intake, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, smoking, and psychosocial stress.³ Of these, only psychosocial stress has been shown to be unequally distributed across racial/ethnic groups. Research suggests that racial discrimination—a trigger of psychosocial stress—is common in the everyday life of non-Hispanic Blacks and may lead to CVD.^19–26 Given this, and consistent with the historical pattern of disadvantage among non-Hispanic Blacks,^9,11,27,28 it is possible that Hispanic Blacks could be exposed to the same deleterious experiences of racial discrimination and racism as non-Hispanic Blacks because of the salience and social visibility associated with their race or dark skin color. These experiences may lead to disadvantaged life chances, which then translate into poorer health.The availability of 9 years of data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS, 1997–2005) afforded the opportunity to investigate the association between race and self-reported hypertension in Hispanics and non-Hispanics before and after adjustment for selected characteristics and known risk factors and to compare the strength of this association in Hispanics and non-Hispanics. If race as a social construct channels Hispanic Blacks to exposures detrimental to health as it does for non-Hispanic Blacks, the lower odds of hypertension for Hispanics observed in previous studies would apply only to Hispanic Whites whereas Hispanic Blacks would have odds of hypertension similar to those of non-Hispanic Whites or intermediate between non-Hispanic Whites and non-Hispanic Blacks. However, the magnitude of the association between race and hypertension would be stronger among non-Hispanics than among Hispanics.     

Peer Reviewed: Increasing Prevalence of Gestational Diabetes and Pregnancy-Related Hypertension in Los Angeles County,California, 1991–2003

Introduction

Gestational diabetes and pregnancy-related hypertension can lead to adverse health effects in mothers and infants. We assessed recent trends in the rates of these conditions in Los Angeles County, California.

Methods

Hospital discharge data were used to identify all women aged 15–54 years who resided in the county, had a singleton delivery from 1991 through 2003, and had gestational diabetes or pregnancy-related hypertension listed as a discharge diagnosis at the time of delivery. The prevalence of each condition was calculated by calendar year, race/ethnicity, and age group. Temporal trends in the rates were assessed by using negative binomial regression models, controlling for race/ethnicity and age. Separate models were run for each racial/ethnic and age group.

Results

The age-adjusted prevalence of gestational diabetes increased more than threefold (from 14.5 cases per 1000 women in 1991 to 47.9 cases per 1000 in 2003). The age-adjusted prevalence of pregnancy-related hypertension also increased (from 40.5 cases per 1000 in 1991 to 54.4 cases per 1000 in 2003). In the multivariable regression analysis, the annual rate increase for gestational diabetes was 8.3% overall and was highest among Hispanics (9.9%). The annual rate increase for pregnancy-related hypertension was 2.8% overall and was highest among blacks (4.8%).

Conclusion

The rates of gestational diabetes and pregnancy-related hypertension are increasing in Los Angeles County. Further research is needed to determine the causes of the observed increases and the growing racial/ethnic disparities in those rates.     

Hypertension:sFlt-1/PLGF比值在先兆子痫预测中的作用

<正>先兆子痫是世界范围内发病率和死亡率的主要原因。研究人员已经提出了许多用于先兆子痫的诊断和预测的候选生物标记物。近日,心血管权威杂志Hypertension上发表了一篇研究文章,研究人员进行了一项荟萃分析探讨子痫前期sFlt-1/PLGF比值在先兆子痫预测中的准确性。研究人员纳入了15项研究,其中包含了534例重     

Hypertension in impoverished social segments in the state of São Paulo

The objective of the current study was investigating the relation between socio-economic, environmental and biological factors and hypertension according to gender, taking into consideration peculiar forms of work, leisure and life-style. The target population consisted of 677 adults of impoverished social segments of two cities in the State of S?o Paulo, Brazil, 274 (39.8%) men and 415 (60.2%) women. The study was conducted by applying a hierarchical logistic regression model to men and women separately. The adjusted Odds Ratio (ORaj), with a confidence interval of 95% and a = 0.05, were calculated. The risk of hypertension in men increases as a result of: living in a rural area (ORaj= 2.00; p= 0.01), alcohol use (ORaj= 1.90; p=0.03) and being over 40 years of age (ORaj=2.35; p=0.003). On the other hand, large families, i.e. families with more than six members, exercise a protective effect (ORaj= 0.45; p=0.02). Risk factors associated with hypertension in women were: lack of schooling (ORaj= 2.37; p=0.003); sedentary lifestyle (ORaj=1.71; p=0.04); obesity associated with low stature (ORaj=3.23; p=0.001) and age over 40 years (ORaj=5.29; 0.0001). Obesity alone was not associated with hypertension (stage II or greater) in this population.     

Undiagnosed Hypertension in Vancouver’s Punjabi Sikh Community: A Cross-Sectional Study

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health - South Asians bear a greater burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to other ethnic groups and hypertension is a major modifiable risk factor. The...     

Hypertension control and related factors at primary care located in the west side of the city of São Paulo, Brazil

The objective of this study was to characterize blood pressure control of 440 hypertensive patients. The subjects were interviewed and had their blood pressure measurement by means of an automatic device. The results showed that 45.5% had an adequate blood pressure control. People under control were different (p<0.05) from those without control: the ones under blood pressure control were mainly women, younger, with a shorter time of disease, with previous treatment for hypertension, less interruptions in treatment and more conscious about the importance of physical activities. They also rarely forgot to take the medicines in the right time, generally using less than, 3 or more antihypertensive drugs, with family history of cardiovascular diseases, reporting physical activity more frequently and less sadness. The multivariate analysis revealed a statistically significant association of uncontrolled hypertension with previous treatment (OR = 2.26; IC 95%, 1.4-3.6), no family history of cardiovascular diseases (OR = 2.2; IC 95%, 1.3 3.5) and unaware of the importance of physical activities for blood pressure control (OR = 3.5; IC 95%, 1.1 10.8). Blood pressure control was associated with biological variables, behavior and information about hypertension as a risk factor and its treatment.