The feasibility of at-home self-monitoring blood pressure in elderly hypertensive patients

The goal of the SHEAF study is to determine whether self blood pressure measurement (SBPM) has a better cardiovascular prognostic value than office blood pressure (OBP) among French elderly (> or = 60 y) hypertensive patients (pts) followed-up by general practitioners. Baseline SBPM was performed over a 4-day period: every day a series of 3 consecutive measurements was requested in the morning (8:00 am) and in the evening (8:00 pm), using a validated device OMRON 705 CP. Measurements performed out of predefined morning and evening time (outside the 4:00-12:00 am range or the 4:00-12:00 pm range) were discarded as well as aberrant values. Pts were included in the study only if they exhibited at least 15 valid measurements with at least 6 in the morning and 6 in the evening. 5,649 pts were selected. 186 pts were excluded for age < 60 years. Thus SBPM analysis was performed for 5,463 pts: 2,687 men (49%) and 2,776 women (51%) aged 70 +/- 7 years. Only 252 pts (5%) were excluded for non valid SBPM (207 pts < 15 measurements, 106 pts < 6 measurements in the morning and 205 pts < 6 measurements in the evening). 5,211 pts (95%) with valid SBPM were included. The distribution of pts according to the number of measurements performed is the following: [table: see text] The number of measurements performed in the morning is highly related to the number of measurements performed in the evening. None of the following variables is significantly associated with the poor compliance of measurement protocol: age, gender, CV history, CV risk factors, hypertension duration. In a large cohort of elderly hypertensive living in the community, SBPM is easily performed both in the morning and in the evening by most of the pts. If the SHEAF study demonstrates the prognostic value of SBPM, this would provide the basis for the use of this measurement method by a majority of elderly hypertensives.     

极低密度脂蛋白受体基因CGG串联重复序列多态性与冠心病的关系

极低密度脂蛋白受体基因５’非编码区起始密度子上游１９ｂｐ处存在ＣＧＧ三核苷酸串联重复序列，为探讨中国汉族人群极低密度脂蛋白受体基因ＣＧＧ串联重复序列多态性与冠心病的相关性，采用聚合酶链反应、变性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳和银染等技术分析湖北地区７５例冠心病患者和１６０例正常汉族人ＣＧＧ串联重复序列。共检出ＣＧＧ串联重复次数为５、８、９、１１的四种等位基因及５／５、５／８、８／８、８／９、９／９、５／９、８