0000000000532424
AUTHOR
Marta Giambrone
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PLASMA ALDOSTERONE LEVELS AND LEFT VENTRICULAR MASS AND GEOMETRY IN ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS: DOES SEX MATTER?
Introduction: Experimental evidence suggested that aldosterone can cause myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis. However, previous studies on the association between plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) and left ventricular (LV) mass (LVM) and geometry, in subjects without primary aldosteronism yielded conflicting results. Aim: To evaluate the relationships of PAC with LV mass and geometry in patients with essential hypertension (EH), and to assess the influence of gender on these relationships. Methods: We enrolled 478 subjects (men: 63%; mean age 44 ± 12 years) with untreated EH. The measurements included 24-h blood pressures, plasma renin activity (PRA) and PAC, obtained by radioimmunoass…
Should reduction of increased short‐term blood pressure variability be a target of antihypertensive therapy?
Abstract It has long been known that blood pressure (BP) is characterized by marked short‐term fluctuations occurring within a 24‐h period and also by long‐term oscillations occurring over more prolonged periods of time. An increased short‐term blood pressure variability (BPV) appears to importantly contribute to target organ damage and to the enhanced cardiovascular risk of hypertensive patients, over and above the effect of an increase in mean BP levels. Reducing 24‐h mean BP is the main aim of antihypertensive therapy, but initial data are available that additional cardiovascular protection can be achieved by reducing BPV. However, to definitively prove the prognostic role of short‐term …
The Unsolved Conundrum of Optimal Blood Pressure Target During Acute Haemorrhagic Stroke: A Comprehensive Analysis
Intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) is a devastating cerebrovascular disease, which accounts to 15% of all strokes. Among modifiable risk factors for ICH, hypertension is the most frequent. High blood pressure (BP) is detected in more than 75–80% of patients with ICH. Extremely elevated BP has been associated with early hematoma growth, a relatively frequent occur-rence and powerful predictor of poor outcome in patients with spontaneous ICH. On the other hand, excessively low BP might cause cerebral hypoperfusion and ultimately lead to poor outcome. This review will analyse the most important trials that have tried to establish how far should BP be lowered during acute ICH. These trials have de…