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The US Preventive Services Task Force cholesterol guideline recommended statins for fewer adults than the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guideline by setting a higher 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease threshold (≥10.0% vs ≥7.5%) and requiring concomitant diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, or cigarette smoking. The 2017 ACC/AHA hypertension guideline lowered the hypertension threshold, increasing 2016 guideline statin-eligible adults. Cross-sectional data on US adults aged 40 to 75 years enabled estimated numbers for the 2013 guideline and 2016 guideline with hypertension thresholds of ≥140/≥90 mm Hg and ≥130/80 mm Hg, respectively, on: (1) untreated, statin-eligible adults for primary atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease prevention (25.40, 14.72, 15.35 million); (2) atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events prevented annually (124 000, 70 852, 73 199); (3) number needed to treat (21, 21, 21); and (4) number needed to harm (38, 143, 143) per 1000 patient-years for incident diabetes mellitus (42 800, 6700, 7100 cases per year). Despite the lower hypertension threshold, the 2013 cholesterol guideline qualifies approximately 10 million more adults for statins and prevents approximately 50 600 more primary atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events but induces approximately 35 700 more diabetes mellitus cases annually than the 2016 guideline.

The impact of age, race/ethnicity, healthcare insurance, and selected clinical variables on statin-preventable ASCVD were quantified in adults aged 21 to 79 years from National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2007–2012 using the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline on the treatment of cholesterol. Among ≈42.4 million statin-eligible, untreated adults, 52.6% were hypertensive and 71% were younger than 65 years. Of ≈232 000 statin-preventable ASCVD events annually, most occur in individuals younger than 65 years, with higher proportions in blacks and Hispanics than whites (73.0% and 69.2% vs 56.9%, respectively; P

Young adult offspring of hypertensive parents (pHTN⊕) are a good model for assessing abnormalities of anthropometric, cardiometabolic, and autonomic variables prior to clinical hypertension. The objectives of this study were to determine whether these variables and autonomic responses to oral carbohydrates were altered in offspring of pHTN⊕. Two hundred consecutive patients, including 100 pHTN⊕, were evaluated, with 29 patients, including 14 pHTN⊕, given a 70-gram carbohydrate load. The pHTN⊕ group had higher blood pressure, pulse pressure, abdominal circumference (AC), weight, body mass index, and basal metabolic rate than offspring of normotensive parents (pHTN∅). At baseline, the low-frequency (LF, sympathetic) to high-frequency (HF, parasympathetic) ratio, assessed by spectral analysis of heart rate variability, was similar in both groups. After the carbohydrate load, the LF/HF ratio was greater in offspring of pHTN⊕. pHTN⊕ individuals have abnormalities of anthropometric and hemodynamic variables at baseline and autonomic responses to oral carbohydrates before developing hypertension.

Electronic health record data were analyzed to estimate the number of statin‐eligible adults with the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association cholesterol guidelines not taking statin therapy and the impact of recommended statin therapy on 10‐year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD(10)) events. Adults aged 21 to 80 years in an outpatient network with ≥1 clinic visit(s) from January 2011 to June 2014 with data to calculate ASCVD(10) were eligible. Moderate‐intensity statin therapy was assumed to lower low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol by 30% and high‐intensity therapy was assumed to reduce low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol by 50%. ASCVD events were assumed to decline 22% for each 39 mg/dL decline in low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. Among 411,768 adults, 260,434 (63.2%) were not taking statins and 103,478 (39.7%) were eligible for a statin, including 79,069 (76.4%) patients with hypertension. Estimated ASCVD(10) events were 18,781 without and 13,328 with statin therapy, a 29.0% relative and 5.3% absolute risk reduction with a number needed to treat of 19. The 2013 cholesterol guidelines are a relatively efficient approach to reducing ASCVD in untreated, statin‐eligible adults who often have concomitant hypertension.

A 2014 hypertension guideline raised goal systolic blood pressure (SBP) from 30% 0–1 health‐care visits per year) occurred in untreated black and white hypertensive patients without DM/CKD and BP ≥140/

Overactivity of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) is considered to be one mechanism underlying obesity-related blood pressure (BP) elevation. In an open-labeled, nonplacebo-controlled clinical trial (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT-01308983), the authors aimed to comprehensively evaluate the effects of amiloride monotherapy, an ENaC blocker, on BP and cardiovascular risk in young adults with prehypertension (n=17). The mean body mass index of participants was 28.45±1.30 kg/m(2) . Following 10 mg daily amiloride for 4 weeks, peripheral systolic BP (SBP), central SBP, and carotid-radial pulse wave velocity were significantly reduced by -7.06±2.25 mm Hg, -7.68±2.56 mm Hg, and -0.72±0.33 m/s, respectively, whereas flow-mediated dilation was significantly increased by 2.2±0.9%. Following amiloride monotherapy for 4 weeks, a significant increase in serum aldosterone was observed (5.85±2.45 ng/dL). ENaC inhibition by amiloride may be used as an early intervention to halt the progression to full hypertension and cardiovascular disease in young adults with prehypertension.

Hypertension is an important public health problem both in the United States and worldwide, contributing to many forms of cardiovascular and renal diseases. Although great strides have been made in the proportion of the US population that achieves recommended blood pressure targets, many Americans still have undertreated and uncontrolled blood pressure that increases the risk of expensive strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, and dialysis. Because hypertension is a common but heterogeneous and sometimes complex condition, the American Society of Hypertension (ASH) has, since 1999, designated physicians as "ASH Hypertension Specialists." Such Hypertension Specialists (as defined by ASH's Specialist Program) are fully licensed physicians with a primary board certification who are competent in all aspects of the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, as evidenced by passing a specific examination on these topics offered by ASH's Specialist Program. These physicians have a proven track record of controlling blood pressure in "resistant hypertensive" patients, the general population whom they serve, and educating other physicians to help them achieve higher blood pressure control rates among their patient populations. This report sets out a rationale for increased reimbursement for care of hypertensive patients by ASH-Designated Hypertension Specialists.

J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2012; 14:415–421. ©2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The authors previously reported that addition of valsartan ameliorated the negative metabolic effects of hydrochlorothiazide in obese hypertensive patients through an enhanced postprandial insulin response. In this secondary analysis, the authors tested whether this enhanced insulin response to valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide was influenced by serum potassium levels, which were reduced to a lesser extent, when compared with amlodipine/hydrochlorothiazide. Results showed that the early insulin response with valsartan plus hydrochlorothiazide occurred regardless of serum potassium levels. Heightened insulin response was, however, not significantly different when patients with normal potassium (>3.9 mEq/L) at baseline and low potassium (≤3.9 mEq/L) at the end of the study were compared with the amlodipine/hydrochlorothiazide group. Despite the influence of serum potassium on insulin secretory response to a glucose challenge, the addition of valsartan maintained normoglycemia in patients given hydrochlorothiazide. Thus, the metabolic response to hydrochlorothiazide was improved with addition of valsartan through an enhanced insulin response that was not greatly affected by changes in potassium levels.

J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2011;13:731–738. ©2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The authors evaluated the blood pressure (BP)–lowering effects of combination valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) vs amlodipine/HCTZ in a 16‐week, double‐blind, randomized, forced‐titration study and ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) substudy involving centrally obese hypertensive patients 40 years and older. Patients were started on valsartan/HCTZ 160/12.5 mg or HCTZ 12.5 mg monotherapy, force‐titrated at week 4 to valsartan/HCTZ 320/25 mg and HCTZ 25 mg, respectively. The HCTZ group initiated amlodipine 5 mg at week 8 and 10 mg at week 12. A subset of patients had 24‐hour ABPM at baseline and weeks 8 and 16. At week 16 in the intent‐to‐treat population (n=401), valsartan/HCTZ and amlodipine/HCTZ lowered office systolic BP (−30.6 vs −28.3 mm Hg; P=.14). In the ABPM subgroup (n=111), valsartan/HCTZ was more effective than amlodipine/HCTZ in reducing 24‐hour systolic BP (−20.6 vs −14.5 mm Hg; P=.011). In obese hypertensive patients, valsartan/HCTZ reduced office BP similar to amlodipine/HCTZ but lowered 24‐hour systolic BP more. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). ****;**:**–**.

The Hypertension Initiative began in 1999 to help transition South Carolina from a leader in cardiovascular disease (CVD) to a model of heart and vascular health. Goals were to reduce heart disease and stroke by 50% by promoting healthy lifestyles and access to effective care and medications. Continuing medical education was used to train providers, encourage physicians to become American Society of Hypertension (ASH)-certified hypertension specialists and recruit practices into the community-based practice network (CBPN). Practice data audit with provider specific feedback is a key quality improvement tool. With ASH support, the CBPN has grown to 197 practices with approximately 1.6 million patients (approximately 700,000 hypertensives). Clinical data are obtained from electronic health records and quarterly provider feedback reports are generated. Hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes control rose and South Carolina's ranking improved from 51st to 35th in CVD mortality from 1995 to 2006. The Hypertension Initiative expanded to the Outpatient Quality Improvement Network (O'QUIN) to encompass comparative effectiveness research and other chronic diseases. Lessons learned include: trust enables success, addressing practice priorities powers participation, infrastructure support must be multilateral, and strategic planning identifies opportunities and pitfalls. A collaborative practice network is attainable that produces positive, sustainable, and growing impacts on cardiovascular and other chronic diseases.

J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2011;13:517–522. ©2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. An increased focus on hypertension prevention and control, especially in high‐risk populations, may have a substantial impact on cardiovascular health outcomes. A continuing medical education (CME) program trained primary care providers in evidence‐based guidelines for hypertension prevention and control. This study evaluated its effectiveness in reducing patients’ blood pressure for the sessions occurring from 2003 to 2007. Using the Hypertension Initiative Database, 8183 patients of CME providers (CME patients) were paired with controls and changes in blood pressure, provider visits, prescription months, and the proportion of patients with blood pressure 140/90 mm Hg), the changes in blood pressure were similar in magnitude to those in the entire population. The CME program, by promoting evidence‐based practice, improves patients’ blood pressure and could serve as a positive model for future hypertension interventions.

Treatment of hypertension among hospitalized patients represents an opportunity to improve blood pressure recognition and treatment. To address this issue, the authors examined patterns of antihypertensive medication prescribing among 5668 hypertensive inpatients. Outcomes were treatment with any antihypertensive medication and treatment with first-line therapy, defined as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta-blockers, thiazide diuretics, or calcium channel blockers. Logistic regression models adjusting for age, sex, race, length of stay, service line, and comorbidity were used for all comparisons. The multivariate-adjusted odds ratios for treatment were higher for men (1.4, P.001), older patients (2.5 for age older than 80 vs 1.0 for age younger than 40; P.001), non-white race (1.2 vs 1.0 for white race; P.004), and generalist service line (1.4 vs 1.0 for all other services; P.001). Multivariate-adjusted odds ratios for receiving first-line agents were higher for older patients and generalist service line. Among surgical patients, receipt of medical consultation was only marginally associated with higher odds of antihypertensive or first-line treatment after adjustment for relevant clinical variables. Demographic factors and service line appear to play a major role in determining the likelihood of inpatient hypertension treatment. Understanding and addressing these disparities has the potential to incrementally improve hypertension control rates in the population.

During a meeting of the American Society of Hypertension in New Orleans, LA, in May 2008, an expert panel was convened to discuss nonpharmacologic therapy in hypertension. This is an update of a panel discussion that was held in March 2007. The panel was co-moderated by Marvin Moser, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, and Mark Houston, MD, Associate Clinical Professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN. Panelists included Laura Svetkey, MD, Professor of Medicine at Duke University, Durham, NC, and Brent Egan, Professor of Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC.

Patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors benefit from having them all controlled, but this rarely occurs. Fifty-seven primary care providers were enrolled in a program to monitor cardiovascular risk factor control. Data were obtained on 7315 hypertensives. This analysis focuses on 3460 high-risk hypertensives including 2199 with diabetes and 1261 with clinical cardiovascular disease. Blood pressures were

Ethnic disparities in hypertension-related outcomes may relate to differences in medical care. This study assessed primary care sites serving low-income patients to determine if differences in process and treatment indicators might contribute to disparities in outcomes. Eight sites were enrolled with 100,000 patients, collectively. Trained nurses abstracted a random sample of medical records for diagnoses, laboratory data, medications, and demographic variables. Data were obtained on 1250 white and 2786 African-American adults. African Americans were more likely (p