Abstract Hypertension Canada provides annually-updated, evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis, assessment, prevention, and treatment of hypertension. This year, we introduce 10 new guidelines. ...Three previous guidelines have been revised and 5 have been removed. Previous age and frailty distinctions have been removed as considerations for when to initiate antihypertensive therapy. In the presence of macrovascular target organ damage, or in those with independent cardiovascular risk factors, antihypertensive therapy should be considered for all individuals with elevated average systolic blood pressure readings ≥140 mmHg. For individuals with diastolic hypertension (with or without systolic hypertension), fixed-dose single pill combinations are now recommended as an initial treatment option. Preference is given to pills containing an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker in combination with either a calcium channel blocker or diuretic. Whenever a diuretic is selected as monotherapy, longer-acting agents are preferred. In patients with established ischemic heart disease, caution should be exercised in lowering diastolic pressure ≤60 mmHg, especially in the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy. Following a hemorrhagic stroke, in the first 24 hours, systolic blood pressure lowering to <140 mmHg is not recommended. Finally, guidance is now provided for screening, initial diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of renovascular hypertension arising from fibromuscular dysplasia. The specific evidence and rationale underlying each of these guidelines are discussed.
Abstract The Canadian Hypertension Education Program reviews the hypertension literature annually and provides detailed recommendations regarding hypertension diagnosis, assessment, prevention, and ...treatment. This report provides the updated evidence-based recommendations for 2015. This year, 4 new recommendations were added and 2 existing recommendations were modified. A revised algorithm for the diagnosis of hypertension is presented. Two major changes are proposed: (1) measurement using validated electronic (oscillometric) upper arm devices is preferred over auscultation for accurate office blood pressure measurement; (2) if the visit 1 mean blood pressure is increased but < 180/110 mm Hg, out-of-office blood pressure measurements using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (preferably) or home blood pressure monitoring should be performed before visit 2 to rule out white coat hypertension, for which pharmacologic treatment is not recommended. A standardized ambulatory blood pressure monitoring protocol and an update on automated office blood pressure are also presented. Several other recommendations on accurate measurement of blood pressure and criteria for diagnosis of hypertension have been reorganized. Two other new recommendations refer to smoking cessation: (1) tobacco use status should be updated regularly and advice to quit smoking should be provided; and (2) advice in combination with pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation should be offered to all smokers. The following recommendations were modified: (1) renal artery stenosis should be primarily managed medically; and (2) renal artery angioplasty and stenting could be considered for patients with renal artery stenosis and complicated, uncontrolled hypertension. The rationale for these recommendation changes is discussed.
Abstract Background Psychological stress has long been suspected to have a deleterious effect on asthma, with acute psychological stress being associated with physiological responses in asthma ...patients. Objectives The purpose of this systematic review was to provide a narrative synthesis of the impact of acute laboratory psychological stress on physiological responses among asthma patients. Methods An extensive search was conducted by two independent authors using Pubmed, PsycINFO, PsyArticles and the Cochrane Library electronic databases (up to September 2016). English and French articles which assessed physiological responses during or post-stress and compare them to baseline or pre-stress values were included. Results Thirty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. Studies indicated that exposure to active stressors ( e.g. , arithmetic tasks) was associated with an increase in sympathetic nervous system (SNS) responses, cortisol, and inflammatory responses, but had little effect on the caliber of the bronchi. Exposure to passive stressors ( e.g. , watching stressful movies or pictures) was also associated with an increase in SNS responses and with mild bronchoconstriction. However, a paucity of data for passive stressors limited conclusions on other measures. Conclusions In patients with asthma, both active and passive stressors seem to be associated with an increased activation of the SNS. Passive stressors seem to have a more immediate, deleterious impact on the airways than active stressors, but the latter may be associated with delayed inflammatory driven an asthma exacerbation. Further studies are needed to understand the impact of acute stressors on the physiological mechanisms associated with asthma, particularly HPA and immune markers. Systematic review registration number: CRD42015026431.
Abstract Herein, updated evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis, assessment, prevention, and treatment of hypertension in Canadian adults are detailed. For 2014, 3 existing recommendations ...were modified and 2 new recommendations were added. The following recommendations were modified: (1) the recommended sodium intake threshold was changed from ≤ 1500 mg (3.75 g of salt) to approximately 2000 mg (5 g of salt) per day; (2) a pharmacotherapy treatment initiation systolic blood pressure threshold of ≥ 160 mm Hg was added in very elderly (age ≥ 80 years) patients who do not have diabetes or target organ damage (systolic blood pressure target in this population remains at < 150 mm Hg); and (3) the target population recommended to receive low-dose acetylsalicylic acid therapy for primary prevention was narrowed from all patients with controlled hypertension to only those ≥ 50 years of age. The 2 new recommendations are: (1) advice to be cautious when lowering systolic blood pressure to target levels in patients with established coronary artery disease if diastolic blood pressure is ≤ 60 mm Hg because of concerns that myocardial ischemia might be exacerbated; and (2) the addition of glycated hemoglobin (A1c) in the diagnostic work-up of patients with newly diagnosed hypertension. The rationale for these recommendation changes is discussed. In addition, emerging data on blood pressure targets in stroke patients are discussed; these data did not lead to recommendation changes at this time. The Canadian Hypertension Education Program recommendations will continue to be updated annually.
Abstract Background Over past decades, the incidence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has increased in young women, and greater mortality rates after discharge were observed among young women vs men. ...We revisited this issue with contemporary data from the Gen d e r and S ex Determ i nant s of Cardiovascular Disease: From Bench to Beyond Pr emature A cute Coronary S y ndrome (GENESIS-PRAXY), a multicentre prospective cohort study. Methods One thousand two hundred thirteen patients were enrolled in GENESIS-PRAXY from 26 centres across Canada, the United States, and Switzerland between January 2009 and April 2013. We assessed major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and mortality over 12 months after ACS. The role of sex as a predictor of outcomes was determined with Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. Results We included 1163 patients with complete data. The occurrence of MACE was 9% and 8% in women and men, respectively ( P = 0.75), and 1% of women and men died during follow-up. In adjusted models, there was no sex difference in the risk of MACE or mortality. The proportion of patients with all-cause rehospitalization was higher in women (13%) compared with men (9%; P = 0.006), but cardiac rehospitalization rates were similar in both sexes regardless of ACS type. Among first rehospitalizations, the majority was classified as cardiac related (69%), with chest pain or angina (28%) and myocardial infarction (19%) reported as the most common reasons for first rehospitalization. Conclusions Women were more likely than men to be rehospitalized for all causes but not for a cardiac cause. In contrast to earlier studies, men and women had similar mortality and MACE outcomes at 1 year.
Abstract We updated the evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis, assessment, prevention, and treatment of hypertension in adults for 2013. This year's update includes 2 new recommendations. ...First, among nonhypertensive or stage 1 hypertensive individuals, the use of resistance or weight training exercise does not adversely influence blood pressure (BP) (Grade D). Thus, such patients need not avoid this type of exercise for fear of increasing BP. Second, and separately, for very elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension (age 80 years or older), the target for systolic BP should be < 150 mm Hg (Grade C) rather than < 140 mm Hg as recommended for younger patients. We also discuss 2 additional topics at length (the pharmacological treatment of mild hypertension and the possibility of a diastolic J curve in hypertensive patients with coronary artery disease). In light of several methodological limitations, a recent systematic review of 4 trials in patients with stage 1 uncomplicated hypertension did not lead to changes in management recommendations. In addition, because of a lack of prospective randomized data assessing diastolic BP thresholds in patients with coronary artery disease and hypertension, no recommendation to set a selective diastolic cut point for such patients could be affirmed. However, both of these issues will be examined on an ongoing basis, in particular as new evidence emerges.
BACKGROUND Obesity has been associated with worse asthma control. Depression has also been shown to be disproportionally prevalent among patients with asthma and among patients with obesity. However, ...no studies have examined the mediating effect of depression on the obesity-asthma relationship. This study examined the extent to which depressive symptoms may mediate the obesity-asthma relationship in an adult sample. METHODS A total of 798 patients with physician-diagnosed asthma were recruited from the outpatient asthma clinic at Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal. Patients provided demographic and medical history information and completed a battery of questionnaires, including the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)-II and the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ). BMI was calculated from self-reported height and weight. RESULTS Analyses adjusted for age, sex, years of education, cohabitation, and inhaled corticosteroid dose revealed an association between BMI and ACQ (β = 0.017, P = .026), between BMI and BDI-II (β = 0.189, P = .002), and between BDI-II and ACQ (β = 0.044, P < .001). However, when both BDI-II and BMI were entered into the same model, BDI-II (β = 0.044, P < .001) but not BMI (β = 0.009, P = .226) remained significantly associated with ACQ. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that depression and a high BMI are both associated with worse asthma control. However, consistent with our hypotheses, the relationship between BMI and worse asthma control was mediated by depressive symptoms. Future studies should examine the precise role of depressive symptoms in both weight and asthma control.
Background Limited information is available on the health behavior profile of patients with premature acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The purpose of this study is to desribe the health bahvior of ...young patients with ACS at the baseline and 1 year post-ACS and examine sex differences. Methods GENESIS-PRAXY is a prospective cohort study of adults (18-55 years old) hospitalized with ACS from 26 centers located in Canada, United States, and Switzerland. Data on diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and recreational drug use were collected through self-administered questionnaires at baseline and 1 year post-ACS. Results Our analysis included 740 patients with complete data. At baseline, the health behavior profile of young patients with ACS was worse than that of the general population. Men had a lower fruit and vegetable intake, consumed alcohol more, and used recreational drugs more than women. Conversely, fewer men than women were smokers (34% vs 42%). At 1 year post-ACS, the proportion of those consuming ≥5 daily servings of fruits and vegetables increased modestly (+5% vs +1%, for men vs women) but remained lower than the general population. Among women, the prevalence of smoking remained about twice as high as the general population. Recreational drug use also remained higher than in the general population. Conclusions Despite small improvements at 1 year post-ACS, the health behavior profile of young patients remained worse than that of the general population. Greater efforts to improve health behaviors post-ACS among young patients are needed, and a sex-based approach may be required to ensure successful behavioral changes.
Abstract Objectives The association between depression and cardiovascular disease severity in younger patients has not been assessed, and sex differences are unknown. We assessed whether major ...depression and depressive symptoms were associated with worse cardiovascular disease severity in patients with premature acute coronary syndrome, and we assessed sex differences in these relationships. Methods We enrolled 1023 patients (aged ≤55 years) hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome from 26 centers in Canada, the United States, and Switzerland, through the GENdEr and Sex determInantS of cardiovascular disease: From bench to beyond-Premature Acute Coronary Syndrome study. Left ventricular ejection fraction, Killip class, cardiac troponin I, and Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events score data were collected through chart review. Results The sample comprised 248 patients with major depression and 302 women. In univariate analyses, major depression was associated with a lower likelihood of having an abnormal left ventricular ejection fraction (odds ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.51-0.97; P = . 03) and lower troponin I levels (estimate, −4.04; 95% confidence interval, −8.01 to −0.06; P = .05). After adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, neither major depression nor depressive symptoms were associated with disease severity indices, and there were no sex differences. Conclusion The increased risk of adverse events in depressed patients with premature acute coronary syndrome is not explained by disease severity.
Sex Versus Gender-Related Characteristics Pelletier, Roxanne, PhD; Khan, Nadia A., MD, MSc; Cox, Jafna, MD ...
Journal of the American College of Cardiology,
01/2016, Letnik:
67, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Abstract Background “Gender” reflects social norms for women and men, whereas “sex” defines biological characteristics. Gender-related characteristics explain some differences in access to care for ...premature acute coronary syndrome (ACS); whether they are associated with cardiovascular outcomes is unknown. Objectives This study estimated associations between gender and sex with recurrent ACS and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (e.g., ACS, cardiac mortality, revascularization) over 12 months in patients with ACS. Methods We studied 273 women and 636 men age 18 to 55 years from GENESIS-PRAXY (GENdEr and Sex determInantS of cardiovascular disease: from bench to beyond-Premature Acute Coronary SYndrome), a prospective observational cohort study, who were hospitalized for ACS between January 2009 and April 2013. Gender-related characteristics (e.g., social roles) were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire, and a composite measure of gender was derived. Outcomes included recurrent ACS and MACE over 12 months. Results Feminine roles and personality traits were associated with higher rates of recurrent ACS and MACE compared with masculine characteristics. This difference persisted for recurrent ACS, after multivariable adjustment (hazard ratio from score 0 to 100: 4.50; 95% confidence interval: 1.05 to 19.27), and was a nonstatistically significant trend for MACE (hazard ratio: 1.54; 95% confidence interval: 0.90 to 2.66). A possible explanation is increased anxiety, the only condition that was more prevalent in patients with feminine characteristics and that rendered the association between gender and recurrent ACS nonstatistically significant (hazard ratio: 3.56; 95% confidence interval: 0.81 to 15.61). Female sex was not associated with outcomes post-ACS. Conclusions Younger adults with ACS with feminine gender are at an increased risk of recurrent ACS over 12 months, independent of female sex.
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