C-reactive protein (CRP) has been known to be associated with vascular inflammation and hypertension. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) increases according to the degree of the arterial stiffness in hypertension patients. Therefore, PWV may be correlated with CRP levels in treated hypertensive patients, irrespective of medication. We sought to determine whether ...

INTRODUCTION: In recent decades liver resection has become a safe procedure, mainly because of better patient selection. Despite this progress, however, outcomes of hepatectomy in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension are still uncertain. The aim of this study was to elucidate early and long-term outcomes of liver resection in these ...

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of portal hypertensive duodenopathy (PHD) in patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension, and to evaluate its relationship with clinical and haemodynamic parameters. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Endoscopy reports and clinical history of 549 consecutive patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension were evaluated retrospectively. A diagnosis of ...

High rates of uncontrolled hypertensives have been reported in France as well as in other countries, partly owing to an inadequate management of hypertension by clinicians. The objectives of the study were (1) to describe the therapeutic decisions faced by general practitioners (GP) in hypertensives not controlled by fixed-dose combination ...

BACKGROUND: Chiari I malformation (CM) may be present pre-surgically in pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) patients. Whether inferior tonsillar displacement (ITD) is coincidental or linked to increased intracranial pressure is unclear. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of both CM and cerebellar ectopia (CE) (ITD below the foramen magnum > or ...

Sleep apnea may be associated to psychological symptoms and to increase use of antidepressant drugs. It is unknown if the use of benzodiazepines, psychoactive drugs with a depressant effect on the brain, is similar, in this regard, to antidepressant drugs use. Thirty patients with treated arterial hypertension and excessive weight ...

BACKGROUND: Peyronie's disease is a localised connective tissue disorder that involves the tunica albuginea of the penis. Although long recognised as an important clinical entity of the male genitalia, the aetiology of this disease has remained poorly understood. METHODS: The epidemiology and clinical presentation of Peyronie's disease during a 10-year ...

BACKGROUND: New drugs have significantly improved the prognosis and quality of life of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. However, PAH associated with autoimmune disease, particularly progressive sclerosis, remains a very serious problem. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether the course of the disease and survival is significantly different in patients with PAH ...

Primary aldosteronism is caused by bilateral idiopathic hyperplasia in approximately two-thirds of cases and aldosterone-producing adenoma in one-third. Most patients with primary aldosteronism are normokalemic. In the clinical setting of normokalemic hypertension, patients who have resistant hypertension and hypertensive patients with a family history atypical for polygenic hypertension should be ...

BACKGROUND: The beneficial effects of spironolactone on the treatment of cardiovascular diseases are well known, but translating these benefits into private practice can be difficult because of the drug's side-effect profile. HYPOTHESIS: When patients are monitored over the long term, spironolactone can be used safely with an acceptable side-effect profile. ...

Supine hypertension is a common finding in patients with autonomic failure; it is associated with end-organ damage and produces nighttime pressure diuresis with worsening of orthostatic hypotension. During the daytime, it is best treated by avoiding the supine posture. At night, simple measures such as raising the head of the ...

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) causes secondary hypertension. However, the reasons why the prevalence of hypertension among OSA patients varies widely (35-70%) are not clear. We sought to investigate the phenotypic characteristics of patients with and without hypertension among OSA patients who were matched for disease severity. We studied 152 OSA ...

This study was undertaken to assess the safety and efficacy of a new long-acting formulation of diltiazem (DLA) (Cardizem LA; Biovail Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Bridgewater, NJ) in a large heterogeneous group of hypertensive patients, and to evaluate physician and patient treatment satisfaction. In this open-label, 30-day study, physicians enrolled patients with ...

The importance of tight blood pressure (BP) control has been established. We performed cross-sectional studies on the current status of BP control and the prescription and efficacy of antihypertensive drugs in hypertensive patients in Japan. The data were also evaluated in subgroups with or without diabetes mellitus (DM) and in ...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the incidence of erectile dysfunction (ED), its severity, and other sexual function domains in 800 Egyptian patients with hypertension. METHODS: All patients completed a detailed questionnaire addressing their general medical history, with special emphasis on hypertension (ie, duration of hypertension, type of antihypertensive treatment, compliance, and presence ...

RATIONALE: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is an orphan disease for which the trend is for management in designated centers with multidisciplinary teams working in a shared-care approach. OBJECTIVE: To describe clinical and hemodynamic parameters and to provide estimates for the prevalence of patients diagnosed for PAH according to a standardized ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Portal hypertensive gastropathy and colopathy are well described endoscopic abnormalities in patients with portal hypertension. Endoscopic abnormalities in the ileum in patients with portal hypertension have not been well described. The aim of the present study was to evaluate endoscopic abnormalities in the ileum of patients with ...

The cardiovascular system diseases constitute a serious problem for modern medicine. THE AIM: To investigate the potential risk and the connection of periodontal diseases and cardiovascular disorders. MATERIAL: The examination was performed in the group of 104 patients of both sexes, aged 50-90 years. The patients were divided into two ...

Nebivolol is a third-generation beta-adrenoceptor antagonist. It differs from other beta-adrenoceptor antagonists as it combines highly selective beta(1)-adrenoceptor antagonist properties with nitric oxide-mediated vasodilatory actions and beneficial effects on endothelial function. Nebivolol is approved in Europe and several other countries for the treatment of essential hypertension and in Europe for ...

The aim of our study was to evaluate potential differences in the concentration of biochemical markers of endothelial dysfunction between essential hypertension, endocrine hypertension (pheochromocytoma, primary hyperaldosteronism) and control healthy group and to assess a potential relationship between these markers of endothelial dysfunction and vasopressor substances overproduced in endocrine hypertension. ...

"Individualized therapy strategies" involve strategies that allow treatment to be guided by patient-specific conditions. For this, robust biomarkers are needed. Examples of biomarker-guided therapies already in use are the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes (biomarker: blood glucose level) or the treatment of hypertension (biomarker: blood pressure). By contrast, most immunomodulatory therapies ...

AIM: To examine prevalence and control of the blood pressure (BP) in the general population and in a subgroup of individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) receiving primary care in the Czech Republic. METHODS: A total of 150 primary care physicians examined and recorded the data of 15 consecutive patients (aged ...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate incidence and severity of anxiety symptoms in patients with hypertension. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey in 891 (432 females) hypertensive patients was conducted in a regional community. All patients were interviewed and detailed physical examination was performed. Zung self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) was used to evaluate the severity ...

BACKGROUND: Stroke is a frequent medical problem occurring in patients with hypertension and other risk factors. The objective of this study was to find the frequency of hypertension as important risk factor in stroke patients presenting at Medical 'B' unit of Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad from November 2003 to January ...

BACKGROUND: The administration of radiographic contrast agents is an important cause of acute renal failure. We hypothesised that hypertension is an independent risk factor for the development of contrast nephropathy in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. METHODS: 1383 consecutive patients scheduled for elective or emergency percutaneous coronary intervention were randomly ...

In a patient-controlled study, the authors demonstrated a significantly higher prevalence of rostral ventrolateral medulla (VLM) compression in hypertensive patients with hemifacial spasm (HFS) compared with age-, sex-, race-, disease duration-, and disease severity-matched normotensive patients with HFS (p = 0.02). Hypertensive HFS patients were more likely to have a ...

Recent evaluations indicate that primary aldosteronism (PA) is common in patients with hypertension. In patients with mild to moderate hypertension the prevalence of PA is 5% to 10%, whereas in subjects with resistant hypertension the prevalence is approximately 20%. As such, PA has become the most common secondary cause of ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the nature and course of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) in Dubai, UAE. METHODS: In a retrospective study the medical records of 50 patients with IIH were reviewed. All of them were diagnosed according to the Modified Dandy Criteria. RESULTS: There were 46 (92%) women. Mean age at ...

The aim of the study was to evaluate the endothelium dependent FMD of the brachial artery in patients with LVDD. Endothelial function was assessed in 36 male patients (mean age 49+/-6 years) with LVDD due to CAD (22 patients) and essential hypertension (14 patients) as well as in 18 male ...

Hypertension is a well-known major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. This study has been designed to assess the prevalence of hypertension, its co-occurrence with other cardiovascular risk factors and its association with cardiovascular diseases in a representative sample of Lebanese population. A pretested questionnaire was administered to 2125 adults aged ...

The purpose of the study was to assess the prognostic significance of out-of-the-office blood pressure (BP) measurement in older patients in general practice, and to compare the results for BP measured in the office, at home and during 24-h ambulatory monitoring. All registerd patients who were 60 years or older ...

The objective of the study was to assess factors associated with treatment satisfaction among patients receiving antihypertensive therapy. A weighted cross-sectional online survey was conducted with hypertensive patients participating in a chronic disease panel in the US. Patients on monotherapy with medications from the following classes were identified: ACE inhibitors ...

To describe the varied presenting signs and symptoms in pediatric patients with pheochromocytoma, a retrospective chart review of the presenting signs and symptoms and subsequent clinical course of patients who presented to the Pediatric ICU following surgical excision of a pheochromocytoma was undertaken. The cohort of 7 patients (5 boys, ...

Hypertension is a risk factor for mild cognitive deterioration and vascular dementia. Cognitive deterioration attributable to normal aging was distinguished from cognitive deterioration related to hypertension by means of neuropsychologic tests. Sixty hypertensive patients, aged 65-80 years, were compared with 30 normotensive individuals. Patients with a history of stroke and/or ...

OBJECTIVES: We sought to clarify if hypertension has a direct effect on endometrial pathology. Furthermore, we wanted to evaluate the effect of possible differences among the various antihypertensive drugs on the clinico-pathological findings. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The records of 228 patients who underwent D&C at our tertiary cancer hospital were ...

BACKGROUND: Plasma levels of urotensin-II (U-II) have been found to be elevated in patients with essential hypertension. However, the consequence of activation of the U-II system have not been previously determined in these patients. We therefore compared the effect of exogenous U-II administration on vascular tone in hypertensive patients (n ...

BACKGROUND: There have been no reports of patients with sclerosing panniculitis and systemic sclerosis (SSc). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the incidence of sclerosing panniculitis in patients with SSc, and to investigate the clinical features of such cases. METHODS: In total, 128 patients with SSc treated at our clinic were investigated retrospectively. ...

Oxidative stress seems to play an important role in the pathophysiology of essential hypertension. Due to its antioxidant features, we studied the protective action of folic acid in hypertensive patients, their food supplemented for 2 weeks with this vitamin. Several oxidative stress parameters were measured in the serum of these ...

BACKGROUND: Interleukin (IL)-15 is one of the cytokines produced by neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages, and its expression is found immunohistochemically in inflammatory cells adjacent to vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques. However, the influence of systemic IL-15 on cardiovascular disease is still unclear. Therefore, we designed clinical investigations to clarify the relationship between cardiovascular ...

The aim of this prospective cross-sectional study was to investigate the hypertrophic effects of endogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism on myocardium and early development of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in essential hypertensive patients accompanied by endogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism. A total of 31 consecutive patients with stage I hypertension were included in the ...

OBJECTIVES: We previously developed a prediction rule to estimate the probability of renal artery stenosis. This rule should be validated before it can be used reliably to select hypertensive patients for renal angiography. We determined the validity of the prediction rule in recent patients and in other settings. DESIGN: We ...

BACKGROUND: The oral dual endothelin receptor antagonist bosentan improves exercise capacity and delays clinical worsening in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, but its use could delay starting intravenous epoprostenol, a life saving treatment. METHODS: Survival in patients with functional class III idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) treated with bosentan in ...

To investigate the clinical presentation, manifestations, and response to therapy of portopulmonary hypertension (PPHTN) in pediatric patients. This study was a retrospective chart review describing the evaluation and course of 7 patients with PPHTN. Causes of portal hypertension (HTN) included biliary atresia (3 cases), cavernous transformation of the portal vein ...

OBJECTIVE: Most of the data about the prevalence of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) are from tertiary centers that are biased toward seeing more severe cases; therefore, the true prevalence of PAH among patients with connective tissue disease is unknown. We sought to determine the point prevalence of undiagnosed PAH in ...

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk factor, but knowledge about the real magnitude of the problem and its determinants is lacking. AIM: To assess control of hypertension and evaluate medical resource use, in patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease. DESIGN: Multicentric cross-sectional study. METHODS: We collected data for ...

OBJECTIVES: To implement a pharmacist-led Hypertension Management Clinic in one general medical practice. To evaluate the impact of the clinic on blood pressure (BP) control and prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD). METHOD: A total of 242 patients attended the pharmacist-led hypertension clinic over a 10-month period. Lifestyle and drug ...

Hypertension is a very common comorbidity in patients with Cushing's disease/syndrome, resulting from the interplay of several pathophysiologic mechanisms, including stimulation of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors as well as the associated insulin resistance, sleep apnea, and overexpression of renin-angiotensin system. Although treatment of Cushing's disease results in resolution or amelioration ...

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify and test a model of the psychosocial variables that influence adherence to therapeutic regimens in patients with hypertension. METHOD: A convenience sample of 219 patients with hypertension who were enrolled in an outpatient clinic of a cardiovascular center in Korea participated in the ...

The objective of our study was to assess the effect of comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and their combinations) on postoperative complications and discharge status in patients having shoulder, hip, and knee arthroplasty (n = 959,839). The association between outcomes and each of the comorbidities was assessed using multivariable logistic regression ...

BACKGROUND: The metabolic syndrome (MetS), predicting coronary heart disease (CHD), is a compound of risk factors including diabetes, obesity and hypertension. The relationship between the development of MetS, diabetes and CHD in patients with established hypertension is unclear. We hypothesized that patients with hypertension developing MetS are at increased risk ...