CardioExchange Archive

May 2nd, 2011

Standard Guidelines Compared with Individualized Guidelines

Larry Husten, PHD

Should patients be treated by standard guidelines, or should guidelines be individualized for patients? In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, David Eddy and colleagues used data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study to calculate and compare the expected benefit from hypertension treatment based on JNC 7 guidelines with the […]

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April 25th, 2011

ACC and AHA Publish Expert Consensus Document on Hypertension in the Elderly

Larry Husten, PHD

Although 64% of elderly men and 78% of elderly women have hypertension, this was not considered a significant clinical problem until 2008, when the Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial (HYVET) trial demonstrated the substantial benefits of reducing blood pressure in these patients. Largely in response to HYVET, the ACC and the AHA have published […]

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March 1st, 2011

CV Patients Without Hypertension Benefit From Antihypertensive Therapy

Larry Husten, PHD

A new study suggests that patients with CV disease who do not have hypertension may nevertheless benefit from antihypertensive therapy. In a study published in JAMA, Angela Thompson and colleagues performed a meta-analysis of 25 trials including 64,162 patients with CV disease or a risk factor equivalent and without hypertension. Compared to controls, patients who received […]

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February 3rd, 2011

Lancet Papers Outline Worldwide Trends in Obesity, Hypertension, and Cholesterol

Larry Husten, PHD

Three papers published in the Lancet provide the most detailed view yet of worldwide trends over the last 3 decades in body-mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and cholesterol, and also include numerous details about different regions and countries. Here are a few highlights of the reports from the Global Burden of Metabolic Risk Factors of Chronic […]

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February 2nd, 2011

CDC Details the Persistent Problem of Hypertension and Elevated LDL in the U.S.

Larry Husten, PHD

New data from the CDC show that in the years 2005 to 2008, 31% of adults in the U.S. had hypertension and 33.5% had high LDL cholesterol. The two reports are based on statistics gathered from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and have been published online by Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Of the nearly […]

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January 25th, 2011

New Study Finds Hydrochlorothiazide Inferior To All Other BP Drugs

Larry Husten, PHD

At the dosages most often used, hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), the most widely used antihypertensive agent in the world, is “consistently inferior” to all other drugs, according to a new meta-analysis published in JACC. Franz Messerli and colleagues performed a systematic review of studies that compared HCTZ to other drugs using 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and found […]

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November 29th, 2010

Study Finds No Link Between Cancer and Antihypertensives, Except for ARB-ACE Inhibitor Combo

Larry Husten, PHD

A new meta-analysis has found no evidence of a large cancer risk for most common antihypertensive agents, but did find strong evidence, largely based on one trial, for at least a 10% increase in cancer risk with the rarely used angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB) combination. In a paper in the Lancet Oncology, […]

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November 22nd, 2010

Treating Resistant Hypertension: Singe – Don’t Stent – The Renal Artery

Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA

For years, interventional cardiologists (and radiologists) have been stenting renal arterial stenoses in patients with resistant hypertension, despite evidence that doing so does not lower blood pressure.  It appears we had the right organ (the kidney), but we’ve been doing the wrong procedure. We should have been delivering a singe, not a stent. Advances in endovascular catheter technology […]

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October 25th, 2010

Can Barbers Help Fight High Blood Pressure in Black Men?

Larry Husten, PHD

A very long time ago, barbers performed surgical procedures. Now, once again, barbers may have a role to play in the health care of their community. In the BARBER-1 trial, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Ronald Victor and colleagues compared two hypertension monitoring and referral programs based in 17 black-owned barbershops in Texas. Following […]

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October 4th, 2010

Consensus Statement Highlights Urgency of Treating Hypertension in Blacks

Larry Husten, PHD

Hypertension in blacks should be treated earlier and more aggressively, according to an update of the International Society on Hypertension in Blacks (ISHB) consensus statement published in Hypertension. The update lowers the threshold for treatment and recommends that: Lifestyle changes be initiated in African-Americans when blood pressure is at or above 115/75 mm Hg. Drug therapy be […]

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