Search

OBJECTIVE -- To evaluate whether in hypertensive patients the risk of cardiovascular disease is greater in association with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) or the sum of its individual components. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -- Cox regression analysis models were developed to assess the influence of age, sex, ethnicity, and the individual components of MetS on risk associated with the MetS (using several definitions) of coronary outcomes, stroke, and all-cause mortality. RESULTS -- MetS was significantly associated with coronary outcomes, stroke, and all-cause mortality after adjusting for age, sex, and ethnicity. However, when the model was further adjusted for the individual components, MetS was associated with significantly increased risk of stroke (hazard ratio 1.34 [95% CI 1.07-1.68]) and all-cause mortality (1.35 [1.16-1.58]) but not coronary outcomes (fatal coronary heart disease plus nonfatal myocardial infarction 1.16 [0.95-1.43] and total coronary events 1.06 [0.91-1.24]). CONCLUSIONS- MetS, independent of its individual components, is associated with increased risk of stroke and all-cause mortality but not coronary outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: The lowering of cholesterol concentrations in individuals at high risk of cardiovascular disease improves outcome. No study, however, has assessed benefits of cholesterol lowering in the primary prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD) in hypertensive patients who are not conventionally deemed dyslipidaemic. Methods: Of 19 342 hypertensive patients (aged 40-79 years with at least three other cardiovascular risk factors) randomised to one of two antihypertensive regimens in the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial, 10 305 with non-fasting total cholesterol concentrations 6.5 mmol/L or less were randomly assigned additional atorvastatin 10 mg or placebo. These patients formed the lipid-lowering arm of the study. We planned follow-up for an average of 5 years, the primary endpoint being non-fatal myocardial infarction and fatal CHD. Data were analysed by intention to treat. Findings: Treatment was stopped after a median follow-up of 3.3 years. By that time, 100 primary events had occurred in the atorvastatin group compared with 154 events in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0.64 [95% CI 0.50-0.83], p=0.0005). This benefit emerged in the first year of follow-up. There was no significant heterogeneity among prespecified subgroups. Fatal and non-fatal stroke (89 atorvastatin vs 121 placebo, 0.73 [0.56-0.96], p=0.024), total cardiovascular events (389 vs 486, 0.79 [0.69-0.90], p=0.0005), and total coronary events (178 vs 247, 0.71 [0.59-0.86], p=0.0005) were also significantly lowered. There were 185 deaths in the atorvastatin group and 212 in the placebo group (0.87 [0.71-1.06], p=0.16). Atorvastatin lowered total serum cholesterol by about 1.3 mmol/L compared with placebo at 12 months, and by 1.1 mmol/L after 3 years of follow-up. Interpretation: The reductions in major cardiovascular events with atorvastatin are large, given the short follow-up time. These findings may have implications for future lipid-lowering guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ACCOMPLISH trial (Avoiding Cardiovascular events through Combination therapy in Patients Living with Systolic Hypertension) was a 3-year multicenter, event-driven trial involving patients with high cardiovascular risk who were randomized in a double-blinded manner to benazepril plus either hydrochlorothiazide or amlodipine and titrated in parallel to reach recommended blood pressure goals. Of the 8125 participants in the United States, 1414 were of self-described Black ethnicity. The composite kidney disease end point, defined as a doubling in serum creatinine, end-stage renal disease, or death was not different between Black and non-Black patients, although the Blacks were significantly more likely to develop a greater than 50% increase in serum creatinine to a level above 2.6 mg/dl. We found important early differences in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) due to acute hemodynamic effects, indicating that benazepril plus amlodipine was more effective in stabilizing eGFR compared to benazepril plus hydrochlorothiazide in non-Blacks. There was no difference in the mean eGFR loss in Blacks between therapies. Thus, benazepril coupled to amlodipine was a more effective antihypertensive treatment than when coupled to hydrochlorothiazide in non-Black patients to reduced kidney disease progression. Blacks have a modestly higher increased risk for more advanced increases in serum creatinine than non-Blacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: We have reported the benefits of atorvastatin and of an amlodipine-based regimen on coronary heart disease (CHD) events in hypertensive patients in the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial (ASCOT). We report further analyses on the combined benefits of these interventions. Methods: 19,342 hypertensive patients were randomised to either an amlodipine or an atenolol-based regimen in the ASCOT Blood Pressure-Lowering Arm (BPLA). 10,305 subjects with total cholesterol ≤6.5 mmol/L were further randomised to atorvastatin 10 mg or placebo in the Lipid-Lowering Arm (LLA). Estimates of CHD risk at baseline based on the Framingham algorithm were compared with observed and predicted event rates throughout ASCOT-LLA. Results: Estimated baseline Framingham risk of CHD events was 22.8 per 1000 patient years. After 3.3 years, when the LLA was stopped, the actual CHD event rate had fallen to 4.8 per 1000 patient years—a reduction of 79% in those assigned amlodipine-based treatment and atorvastatin. Conclusions: CHD benefits associated with BP and lipid lowering were larger than predicted by previous observational and trial data. We estimate that compared with pre-trial treatment, treating about 55 patients with the amlodipine-based regimen and atorvastatin would prevent one CHD event per year. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Avoiding Cardiovascular Events Through Combination Therapy in Patients Living With Systolic Hypertension (ACCOMPLISH) trial is the first cardiovascular outcome trial designed to compare initial use of 2 different fixed-dose antihypertensive regimens, benazepril plus hydrochlorothiazide vs benazepril plus amlodipine, on cardiovascular end points in hypertensive patients at high cardiovascular risk secondary to previous major events or presence of diabetes mellitus (DM). Of the 11,464 patients, 60.4% had DM. Compared with non-DM patients, DM patients were less likely to have previous myocardial infarctions (15% vs 37%) or strokes (8% vs 21%). Those with DM were more likely to be female (43% vs 34%), black (15% vs 8%), overweight (body mass index, 32 vs 29 kg/m2). At baseline, DM patients were more likely to have the metabolic syndrome, manifested by higher levels of fasting glucose (145 vs 101 mg/dL) and triglycerides (178 vs 150 mg/dL) and slightly lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol values (48 vs 51 mg/dL) compared to the non-DM cohort. Although estimated glomerular filtration rate (80 vs 76 mL/min/1.73 m2) was similar in the DM and non-DM groups, presence of both albuminuria (8.7% vs 3.5%) and microalbuminuria (29% vs 20%) were more prevalent in the DM group. After 6 months of treatment, blood pressure control rates (<140/90 mm Hg) using blinded data (both therapeutic groups combined) for DM demonstrated that 42.8% of DM patients had blood pressure levels <130/80 mm Hg. ACCOMPLISH will provide valuable guidance on optimizing treatment strategies in hypertensive patients at high cardiovascular risk with and without DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Is cancer related to hypertension and blood pressure? Do antihypertensive drugs promote cancer? Do antihypertensive drugs protect against cancer? We previously analysed the frequency of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in elderly people who participated in the Swedish Trial in Old Patients with Hypertension 2 (STOP-Hypertension-2). We have also looked at the frequency of cancer in these patients.Methods: We randomly assigned 6614 elderly patients with hypertension (mean age 76 years, median time of follow-up 5.3 years) to one of three treatment strategies: conventional drugs (diuretics or b-blockers), calcium antagonists, or ACE inhibitors. We matched the patients to the Swedish Cancer Registry and compared our findings with expected values based on age, sex, and calendar-year-specific reference frequencies for the general Swedish population. We also compared the number of cancers between the three treatment groups.Findings: At baseline, 607 (9%) patients had previous malignant disease. Diagnoses were closely similar to the distribution of cancer types that might be seen in elderly patients. During follow-up, there were 625 new cases of cancer in 590 patients. The frequency of cancer did not differ significantly between the treatment strategies, including all cancers and those at individual sites. The standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) for all cancers were also close to unity: 0.92 (95% CI 0.80-1.06) for conventional drugs, 0.96 (0.83-1.10) for calcium antagonists, and 0.99 (0.86-1.13) for ACE inhibitors.Interpretations: No difference in cancer risk was seen between patients randomly assigned to conventional drugs, calcium antagonists, or ACE inhibitors. Thus, the general message to the practising physician is that more attention should be given to getting the blood pressure down than to the risk of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]