Relationship between microalbuminuria and cardiac structural changes in mild hypertensive patients

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between urinary albumin excretion (UAE), cardiac structural changes upon echocardiography and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (ABPM) levels. Twenty mild hypertensive patients (mean age 56.8 ± 9.6 years) were evaluated. After 2 weeks of a washout period of all antihypertensive drugs, all patients underwent an echocardiographic evaluation, a 24-h ABPM and an overnight urine collection. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure during 24-h ABPM was 145 ± 14/91 ± 10 mmHg (daytime) and 130 ± 14/76 ± 8 mmHg (nighttime), respectively. Seven (35 percent) patients presented UAE > or = 15 æg/min, and for the whole group, the geometric mean value for UAE was 10.2 x/÷ 3.86 æg/min. Cardiac measurements showed mean values of interventricular septum thickness (IVS) of 11 ± 2.3 mm, left ventricular posterior wall thickness (PWT) of 10 ± 2.0 mm, left ventricular mass (LVM) of 165 ± 52 g, and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) of 99 ± 31 g/m². A forward stepwise regression model indicated that blood pressure levels did not influence UAE. Significant correlations were observed between UAE and cardiac structural parameters such as IVS (r = 0.71, P<0.001), PWT (r = 0.64, P<0.005), LVM (r = 0.65, P<0.005) and LVMI (r = 0.57, P<0.01). Compared with normoalbuminuric patients, those who had microalbuminuria presented higher values of all cardiac parameters measured. The predictive positive and negative values of UAE > or = 15 æg/min for the presence of geometric cardiac abnormalities were 75 and 91.6 percent. These data indicate that microalbuminuria in essential hypertension represents an early marker of cardiac structural damage

Intima-media thickness evaluation by B-mode ultrasound: Correlation with blood pressure levels and cardiac structures

The aim of this study was to analyze the thickness of the intima-media complex (IMC) using a noninvasive method. The carotid and femoral common arteries were evaluated by noninvasive B-mode ultrasound in 63 normotensive and in 52 hypertensive subjects and the thickness of the IMC was tested for correlation with blood pressure, cardiac structures and several clinical and biological parameters. The IMC was thicker in hypertensive than in normotensive subjects (0.67 ± 0.13 and 0.62 ± 0.16 vs 0.54 ± 0.09 and 0.52 ± 0.11 mm, respectively, P<0.0001). In normotensive patients, the simple linear regression showed significant correlations between IMC and age, body mass index and 24-h systolic blood pressure for both the carotid and femoral arteries. In hypertensives the carotid IMC was correlated with age and 24-h systolic blood pressure while femoral IMC was correlated only with 24-h diastolic blood pressure. Forward stepwise regression showed that age, body mass index and 24-h systolic blood pressure influenced the carotid IMC relationship (r2 = 0.39) in normotensives. On the other hand, the femoral IMC relationship was influenced by 24-h systolic blood pressure and age (r2 = 0.40). In hypertensives, age and 24-h systolic blood pressure were the most important determinants of carotid IMC (r2 = 0.37), while femoral IMC was influenced only by 24-h diastolic blood pressure (r2 = 0.10). There was an association between carotid IMC and echocardiographic findings in normotensives, while in hypertensives only the left posterior wall and interventricular septum were associated with femoral IMC. We conclude that age and blood pressure influence the intima-media thickness, while echocardiographic changes are associated with the IMC

Tratamento da hipertensäo arterial sistêmica com urapidil: estudo multicêntrico comparativo com nifedipina / Treatment of sistematic arterial hypertension with urapradil multicenter studies comparative with nifedipina

Estudo multicêntrico, aberto, comparativo entre o Urapidil e a Nifedipina, alocando os pacientes, aleatoriamente, em dois grupos de tratamento, com 95 pacientes (46 pacientes tratados com Urapidil e 49 pacientes tratados com Nifedipina). Houve um período de washout de duas a quatro semanas e, um período de tratamento ativo de 10 semanas, sendo que, após duas semanas, a dose inicial (Urapidil: 60mg/d e Nifedipina: 40mg/d) foi duplicada nos pacientes näo-responsivos. O critério de normalizaçäo foi o de uma pressäo diastólica igual ou inferior a 90 mmHg ou 10% na reduçäo, se a diastólica fosse inferior a 100mmHg. Nos 95 pacientes estudados a porporçäo de pacientes responsivos foi de 78% paa o Urapidil e de 76% para a Nifedipina; a queda de pressäo levou a 139/88mmHg; no grupo do Urapidil e 131/83mmHg no grupo da Nifedipina. A tolerância foi satisfatória com o Urapidil, sendo as principais queixas a vertigem, o mal-estar e a fraqueza que apareceram em 10 doentes; entre os pacientes tratados com Nifedipina 17 apresentaram queixas de cefaléia e 14 pacientes apresentaram vertigem e flushing

Stress and hypertension: studies in three experimental models

The effects of three models of stress upon blood pressure and central responsiveness to angiotensin II (AII) and noradrenaline (NA) were assessed in rats. Considering general parameters of stress efficacy, all models were effective to induce stress but hypertension only occurred in animals submitted to rapid eye movement sleep deprivation (REM-sd) and electric shock (ES). An increased central pressor effect of AII and NA was observed in these groups. On the other hand, restriction (R) did not increase blood pressure or central responsiveness to AII or NA. Instead of hypertension, R induced gastric ulcers and testis atrophy. Thus, hypertension occurs only in some models of stress and may be due to increased central responsiveness to AII and NA.

Tratamento da crise hipertensiva com captopril. / Treatment of hypertensive crisis with captopril

Avaliou-se a eficiencia do captopril, um inibidor da enzima conversora, no tratamento de 28 pacientes em crise hipertensiva de variadas etiologias: 12 com hipertensao arterial maligna, 6 com hipertensao acelerada, 4 com hipertensao renovascular e 6 com hipertensao renovascular arterial refrataria. A resposta imediata ao captopril foi mais intensa nos pacientes portadores de hipertensao arterial acelerada e maligna e hipertensao renovascular. Assim, em 14 dos 18 pacientes com hipertensao acelerada e maligna, doses entre 150 e 300 mg de captopril foram suficientes para reduzir a pressao arterial a niveis proximos da normalidade. Nos outros 4 pacientes deste grupo, necessitou-se de um diuretico para controlar a pressao arterial. Os 4 pacientes com hipertensao renovascular apresentaram reducoes similares na pressao arterial, porem com doses menores de captopril. Os 6 pacientes portadores de hipertensao arterial refrataria apresentaram menores reducoes pressoricas com doses de captopril entre 50 e 150 mg.Concluiu-se que captopril foi eficaz para o tratamento inicial de crises hipertensivas de diversas etiologias