Prognostication of long-term outcomes for patients with ischemic heart disease.

UNLABELLED: Cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease (CHD), is the leading cause of death among elderly adults across many European countries. In 2005, the Clinic of Cardiology, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (former Kaunas University of Medicine), started to gather the clinical data of patients with acute and chronic coronary syndromes according to the standards set by the Cardiology Audit and Registration Data Standards Project. THE AIM OF OUR STUDY was to evaluate one-year mortality after inpatient treatment for acute and chronic coronary syndromes in different risk groups. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 3268 patients who were treated for coronary heart disease - acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, stable angina--at the Clinic of Cardiology, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (former Kaunas University of Medicine) in 2005 were randomly selected. Clinical data of the patients were collected by means of a standardized questionnaire. After one year, 1908 patients were reexamined, and predominant symptoms, treatment during one-year period, outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that one-year mortality after acute coronary syndromes was most influenced by age of 70-80 years, history of stroke, Killip class III-IV, and reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. For patients who were treated for chronic coronary syndromes, reduced EF (<40%) and increased heart rate (>70 beats per minute) were the strongest independent predictors of one-year mortality. CONCLUSION: A scoring system for the assessment of mortality risk within one year for patients with acute and chronic coronary syndromes was constructed, which could be useful for cardiologists as well as family physicians for risk evaluation in inpatient and outpatient settings.

[Associations between acute heart failure and cardiovascular outcomes]. / Uminio sirdies nepakankamumo sasajos su sirdies ir kraujagysliu sistemos ligu baigtimis.

UNLABELLED: The aim of the study was to determine associations of acute coronary syndrome and acute heart failure with mortality from cardiovascular causes during hospitalization and mortality from cardiovascular causes and chronic heart failure during one-year period. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 1554 consecutive patients with discharge diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome, treated at the Clinic of Cardiology, Hospital of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (former Kaunas University of Medicine) in 2005, were prospectively enrolled into the study. For the assessment of patients' status, data from the Cardiac Center Registry database were used. Patients were followed up for one year from admission to hospital. RESULTS: Acute heart failure was diagnosed in 32.3% of patients during hospitalization, and chronic heart failure was diagnosed in 17% during a one-year follow-up period. Myocardial revascularization was performed in 70.8% of patients with coronary artery stenosis of ≥70%. After one year, chronic heart failure was documented in 1039 patients, and it was almost three times more frequent in patients who had acute heart failure at diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome than in patients without acute coronary syndrome during hospitalization (31.4% vs. 11.6%; P<0.05). Death from cardiovascular causes occurred more frequently in patients with acute heart failure than without it during both in-hospital and out-of-hospital periods (11.5% vs. 1.9%, P<0.001; 7.7% vs. 2.3%, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: In the presence of acute coronary syndrome, diagnosed acute heart failure significantly increases the frequency of chronic heart failure during one-year period and mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases during hospitalization and one-year period.

[Impact of duration and treatment of arterial hypertension on health-related quality of life]. / Arterines hipertenzijos trukmes ir gydymo itaka su sveikata susijusiai gyvenimo kokybei.

UNLABELLED: Arterial hypertension (AH) is one of the most important risk factors for development of ischemic heart disease; thus, control of AH and effective treatment are of great importance. Since arterial hypertension is commonly referred as asymptomatic condition, the question whether hypertensive condition is associated with the change of well-being and health-related quality of life is still debatable. THE AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the impact of duration and treatment of AH on health-related quality of life. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The contingent of the study consisted of patients who arrived for a cardiologist's consultation at the Clinic of Cardiology, Hospital of Kaunas University of Medicine. The patients were randomly selected for the study. The inclusion criteria were as follows: diagnosed arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and the metabolic syndrome. Diagnosed ischemic heart disease (chronic and acute coronary syndromes and their complications) and severe concomitant diseases were exclusion criteria. A total of 101 patients (19 males and 82 females) met the inclusion criteria and consented to participate in the study. Their mean age was 58.03+/-5.63 years. The patients' quality of life was evaluated using the Medical Outcomes Study short form 36-item questionnaire (SF-36 questionnaire), which comprises 36 questions grouped into eight domains. The questionnaire was filled in by the subjects independently. Other methods applied to the study were inquiry (for the evaluation of risk factors, lifestyle, and medical history), analysis of medical documents (cholesterol levels and glycemia in blood), and objective examination (height, weight, waist circumference, and arterial blood pressure). RESULTS: The subjects with AH showed lower values compared to normotensive patients in the following domains: physical functioning (P=0.014), role limitations due to physical health (P=0.012), energy/vitality (P=0.016), and general health evaluation (P=0.023). We have not determined the differences in quality of life of the patients whose AH was regulated if compared to those patients without AH. The patients whose treatment of AH was not effective reported lower quality of life in the following SF-36 domains: physical functioning (P=0.003), role limitations due to physical health (P=0.003), general evaluation of health (P=0.017), energy/vitality (P=0.008), and emotional status (P=0.015), if compared to the patients without AH. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with AH reported lower quality of life in the following domains: physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, energy/vitality, and general evaluation of health. Compared to patients without AH, the quality of life of the patients who had the effective treatment did not differ, whereas patients with ineffective treatment had the lower quality of life. Functioning is more statistically significantly limited due to physical health in patients with AH.

The risk of cardiovascular death following the first acute ischaemic syndrome: experience in Kaunas between 1997 and 2001.

UNLABELLED: The aim of our study was twofold: initially to investigate the effects of the informative value of the variables of the acute period on the risk of cardiovascular death during the long-term period following the first acute coronary syndrome, and then to determine the long-term survival rate in different risk groups. METHODS: The prospective five-year observational study included 732 patients with acute coronary syndrome who had survived the hospital period. Employing multivariable Cox's proportional-hazard analysis, the most informative variables were selected, the risk score index was calculated, the risk groups for the prediction of cardiovascular death were identified, long-term survival (4.5 +/- 2.1 years) in different risk groups was determined and internal validation of the model was performed. RESULTS: During the observational period, 84 patients (11.5%) died due to cardiovascular causes. Cox proportional-hazard models demonstrated that six variables had significant influence on long-term survival during the five-year period after an acute coronary syndrome. These variables were: age [1-5 points], the presence of pathologic Q wave in >2 ECG leads [2 points], Killip class II-IV [2-4 points], left ventricular ejection fraction <35% [2-4 points], proximal stenosis of coronary arteries [2-4 points], absence of myocardial revascularization in the acute period [2 points]. Three strata for risk of cardiovascular death were identified [0-5 points--14.1% patients, 6-10 points--62.6%, >10 points - 23.3%]. The probability of survival within the period of five years was found to be favourable for the majority of patients in the low- and medium-risk groups, while the number of such patients in the high-risk group was significantly lower [97.0% vs. 89.0% vs. 73.0%, P < 0.0000]. The difference in the survival probability was negligible in developmental and validation sets. CONCLUSION: The risk score derived from clinical variables of first acute coronary syndromes permits a reliable determination of risk for cardiovascular death as well as the prediction of long-term survival in different risk groups.

Prognostication of late left ventricular systolic dysfunction in patients with acute coronary syndrome during the acute period.

The aim of the study was to create the model of the combination of clinical and echocardiographic determinants during the acute period of acute coronary syndromes for the prognostication of the risk for left ventricular dysfunction after one year. We examined 565 patients with first-time acute coronary syndrome with no recurrence during one-year period. The studied group consisted of 496 patients, and the examined group--of 69 patients. All patients with acute coronary syndrome within the first three days underwent the evaluation of demographic, anamnesis, clinical indicators, risk factors for ischemic heart disease, ECG, and echocardiographic findings for the prognostication of the risk of left ventricular dysfunction after one year. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied for the identification of independent determinants for the prognostication of left ventricular dysfunction, and three risk groups were identified. The prognostic informative value of the model was verified by comparing the incidence of left ventricular systolic dysfunction in risk groups after one year between the studied and the control groups. RESULTS. After one year, left ventricular systolic dysfunction (left ventricular ejection fraction <40%) in the presence of acute coronary syndrome remained in more than half (65.3%) of patients and returned to normal (left ventricular ejection fraction > or =40%) in one-third of patients (34.7%). Left ventricular systolic function that was normal during the acute period of coronary syndrome remained such in the majority (80.9%) of patients after one year, whereas one-fifth (19.1%) of patients developed left ventricular systolic dysfunction. The mathematical model for the prognostication of systolic dysfunction after one year was composed of the determinants of acute coronary syndrome: left ventricular ejection fraction <40%, anterior localization of Q-wave myocardial infarction, Killip class 3-4, left ventricular pseudo-normal or restrictive diastolic function, and frequent ventricular extrasystoles. The application of our model in the prognostication of late left ventricular systolic dysfunction during the acute period of coronary syndrome showed that the model was reliable, since after one year, the prognosticated left ventricular systolic dysfunction was determined in the majority (84.3%) of patients. The designed mathematical model is simple and is based on standard clinical and echocardiographic findings, and the scoring system allows for the prognostication of the risk for late left ventricular systolic dysfunction in any individual patient. The prognostication of the risk for late left ventricular systolic dysfunction during the acute period of coronary syndrome may help in the planning of treatment and outpatient care in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

[Secondary prevention of ischemic heart disease: pharmacological treatment after myocardial infarction according to follow-up protocol]. / Antrine isemines sirdies ligos profilaktika persirgus miokardo infarktu (medikamentinio gydymo ivertinimas remiantis anketines apklausos duomenimis).

UNLABELLED: The aim of this work was to assess the quality of pharmacological treatment in patients within one year after acute myocardial infarction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a prospective survey of 985 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction who were treated in the Clinic of Cardiology of Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital in 2004. About half of patients were hospitalized from different regions of Lithuania. According to the follow-up protocol, an information on 514 patients and their used treatment within 13.8+/-3.2 months after myocardial infarction were collected by letter with questionnaire. RESULTS: Beta-adrenoblockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and antithrombotic drugs were the most drug used (76%, 74%, and 76%, respectively) in patients following myocardial infarction. Most of the patients used a three-drug combination (36.8%), more rarely--two-drug (24.1%) or four-drug complex (19.8%). One drug was used only in 12.1% of cases; 7.2% of patients did not use any cardiac drugs. Beta-adrenoblocker with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor was the most common (40.3%) used drug combination in patients on two drug complex. The combination of beta-adrenoblocker, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, and antithrombotics was more frequently used in patients on three drug complex. The combination of two or three cardiac drugs with statin was used in several cases (1.6-10.3%). CONCLUSIONS: These findings underscore that the use of beta-adrenoblockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and antithrombotics was high (about 75%) in patients during the first year after myocardial infarction, and the combination of these three drugs was used more commonly. The discordance between existing guidelines for statin use after myocardial infarction and current practice was determined in patients following myocardial infarction.

[Admission hyperglycemia and abnormal glucose tolerance at discharge in patients with acute myocardial infarction and no previous history of diabetes mellitus]. / Susirgusiuju miokardo infarktu, be cukrinio diabeto anamnezeje, hiperglikemijos daznis hospitalizavus ir israsant is stacionaro.

UNLABELLED: The objective of this study was to determine frequency of admission hyperglycemia and abnormal glucose tolerance at discharge in patients with acute myocardial infarction and no previous history of diabetes mellitus. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data on 1522 patients with acute myocardial infarction and no previous history of diabetes mellitus were analyzed. Before discharge from hospital, standardized oral glucose tolerance test was performed in 197 patients with admission hyperglycemia. RESULTS: Admission hyperglycemia (> or =6.1 mmol/L) was determined in half of the patients with acute myocardial infarction: glucose concentration of 6.1-6.99 mmol/L was in 21.5% and > or =7.0 mmol/L in 30.1% of the patients. By using glucose tolerance test, normal glucose metabolism was noted in 57.9% of the patients with admission hyperglycemia; abnormal glucose tolerance was diagnosed newly in more than one-third and glucose concentration of > or =11.1 mmol/L in 10.1% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal glucose tolerance is a frequent feature in nondiabetic patients with admission hyperglycemia during acute myocardial infarction, and glucose tolerance test should be considered in all patients with ischemic heart disease for early modification of this risk factor.

[Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in coronary heart disease patients with different low-density lipoprotein phenotypes]. / Serganciuju isemine sirdies liga rizikos veiksniu daznumas esant skirtingam mazo tankio lipoproteinu fenotipui.

UNLABELLED: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) heterogeneity is now well recognized as an important factor reflecting differences in lipoprotein composition, size, metabolism and genetic influences. There is an abundant evidence of data supporting the clinical importance of small, dense LDL particles in the development of coronary heart disease. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of LDL phenotypes A and B in coronary artery disease patients and to assess the incidence of cardiovascular risk factors in groups with different phenotype. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Demographic, anamnestic and clinical data as well as complete lipid profile--total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides--were collected on 1,220 patients (63.7% male and 36.3% female, mean age 61.3+/-11.0 years) with coronary artery disease. Triglycerides/HDL cholesterol ratio was calculated. By value of triglycerides/HDL cholesterol ratio, proposed V. Hanak and authors, the patients were identified as having LDL phenotype A when the ratio was < or =1.64 (a value of 3.8 as expressed in milligrams per deciliter) and phenotype B when the ratio was >1.64. RESULTS: LDL profile in 60.5% of patients was identified as phenotype A and in 39.5%--as phenotype B. The incidence of coronary heart disease risk factors was higher in phenotype B patients as compared to phenotype A subjects (hypertension - 85.1% vs. 75.2%, p<0.001, diabetes mellitus--13.9% vs. 5.5%, p<0.001, obesity--46.7% vs. 28.0%, p<0.001, reduced physical activity--64.5% vs. 57.0%, p<0.001). Metabolic syndrome was present in 85.1% of phenotype B patients, while this cluster of metabolic disorders was detected only in 36.8% of phenotype A subjects. The incidence of myocardial infarction, presence of multiple high-grade coronary lesions were also higher in phenotype B patients as compared to their counterparts with phenotype A (22.2% vs. 17.2%, p<0.05 and 13.7% vs. 8.7%, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: LDL phenotype B was determined in 39.5% of coronary heart disease patients. Atherogenic LDL subclass pattern B correlated with higher incidence of major coronary heart disease risk factors.

Informative value of clinical markers for the risk of cardiovascular death in postinfarction chronic heart failure.

UNLABELLED: Symptomatic chronic heart failure (CHF) in patients with previous myocardial infarction results in a high risk of death. The aim of the study was to determine the informative value of different clinical markers and their combinations for cardiovascular death risk evaluation in case of CHF after Q-wave myocardial infarction (MI). METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-four patients with congestive heart failure NYHA class II-IV after Q-wave MI were followed-up for five years (median 2.6 +/- 2.0 years). The probability of cardiovascular death was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves, the impact of clinical variables on the risk of death, and adjusted risk of death were evaluated using Cox proportional regression method, and the total risk score of death was determined using the multivariate regression method. RESULTS: The probability of cardiovascular death within the first year was 21%, within two years 40%, within three years 55%, within four years 61%, and within five years 65%. According to the risk of death, the independent predictors were allotted a risk score which was determined for all patients and had shown a strong association with 5-year cardiovascular mortality. Patients with a risk score of 9, versus those with a score of 0, were found to have a 15-fold increase in cardiovascular mortality rate. CONCLUSION: The probability of cumulative cardiovascular mortality within five years in case of a symptomatic CHF after Q-wave MI was 65%. In the presence of risk factor combinations, the probability of death within three years reached 98%.

[Cardiac events and 5-year survival after acute coronary syndromes]. / Kardialiniai ivykiai ir isgyvenimas penkerius metus po persirgtu uminiu iseminiu sindromu.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence of cardiac events and survival in patients with first acute coronary syndromes during 5-year period. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data on 732 patients admitted with first acute coronary syndrome were collected in a database. During hospitalization period 45.4% of the patients received reperfusion therapy. During follow-up period (4.49+/-2.1 years) 215 (29.4%) patients had cardiac events: 15.3%--myocardial revascularization, 8.1%--repeated myocardial infarction, 11.5%--cardiovascular deaths. The highest (5%) mortality rate was during first year, whereas during the following four years--1.5% annually. Kaplan-Meier analysis for survival free of cardiovascular death revealed that mortality rates were higher among patients who were > or =65 years old (long-rank test, p=0.02); had heart failure at admission (p=0.003), left ventricular ejection fraction <40% (p=0.04), significance diastolic dysfunction (p=0.035), III-IV degrees mitral regurgitation (p=0.00006); did not received reperfusion therapy (p=0.007). CONCLUSION: The analysis of this long-term follow-up data shows that the patients with acute coronary syndromes carry a high risk of death and need better treatment strategies to reduce risk.

Lethal outcomes in patients with symptomatic heart failure developed after Q-wave myocardial infarction.

The article analyses clinical characteristics and mortality of patients with symptomatic chronic heart failure following Q-wave myocardial infarction. During the study 224 patients (mean age 64.1+/-9.7) with symptomatic chronic heart failure and left ventricular ejection fraction <40% were followed-up for 1-5 years (on the average, 2.6+/-2.0 years). The majority of the studied patients had had anterior or anterior-lower Q-wave myocardial infarction (61.6% and 25.9%, respectively) and an identified Canadian function class II-IV angina pectoris (74.6%), and one-fifth of the patients (19.6%) had unstable angina pectoris. All patients were diagnosed with chronic heart failure New York Heart Association function class II-IV, the majority of patients had disturbances in cardiac rhythm and conduction, almost a half of them (46.0%) had left ventricular aneurysm, 92.8% of patients were diagnosed with marked changes in left ventricular geometry, 84.4% of patients had II-IV degrees mitral regurgitation, a half of the patients had significant left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, and 6.3% of patients had previously experienced thromboembolic complications. During the follow-up period 132 patients died. The comparison of the characteristics of patients who survived with those of patients who died showed that the deceased patients were statistically significantly older compared to survivors; in addition to that, marked stenoses of three coronary arteries, severe chronic heart failure, ejection fraction < or =20%, ventricular extrasystoles, and sinal tachycardia were more common in the former group, and patients who died less frequently were overweight and less frequently used beta adrenoblockers. The evaluation of Kaplan-Meier curves showed that total mortality resulting from the development of chronic heart failure symptoms and indications of chronic heart failure during the 1st year was 21.0%, during the 2nd year -40%, during the 3rd year -55.0%, during the 4th year -61.0%, and during the 5th year -65.0% the highest mortality was observed when left ventricular ejection fraction < or =20%, and age >75. The development of severe chronic heart failure resulted, on the average, after 1.5+/-1.1 years. It is obvious that symptomatic chronic heart failure caused by ischemic cardiomyopathy and marked left ventricular systolic dysfunction following Q-wave myocardial infarction is a rapidly progressing process conditioning high risk of lethal outcome within the period of several years.

[Treatment of patients with ischemic heart disease and diabetes]. / Ligoniu, serganciu isemine sirdies liga ir cukriniu diabetu, gydymo ypatybes.

Around one third of patients with myocardial infarction are diabetic. More vigorous control of hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension is likely to be of crucial importance for risk reduction. Although the effect of intensive glycemic control appears to be only minor in terms of prevention of cardiac events in diabetic patients, it has a major beneficial impact during acute myocardial infarction and after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Lipid-lowering treatment is as effective in diabetic patients with coronary artery disease as in nondiabetic patients. In patients with coronary artery disease, there is strong evidence in favor of the use of b-blockers soon after myocardial infarction as well as in the long term. The metabolic treatment may also be considered as a rational approach for patients with stable angina. The long-term angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor trials in patients with left ventricle dysfunction soon after myocardial infarction demonstrated a substantial benefit in the subgroup of diabetic patients. Current evidence leads us to recommend revascularization surgery as the first choice in diabetic patients. The management of risk factors should be more intensive in diabetic patients. In diabetic patients with coronary artery disease, most of the medical strategies are as effective as in nondiabetic patients.

[Ischemic heart disease mortality risk in patients with diabetes mellitus]. / Isemines sirdies ligos letalios baigties tikimybes sergant cukriniu diabetu.

AIM: The significance of clinical characteristics during acute phase of coronary syndrome for hospital prognosis is well established. However their prognostic ability and impact on defining risk of lethal outcome during one-year period after acute coronary syndrome in pts with diabetes mellitus is not clarified. METHODS: In a prospective one-year study 699 pts with first acute coronary syndrome were studied: 61 with diabetes mellitus and 638 without diabetes mellitus. We have analyzed their demographic characteristics, risk factors of ischemic heart disease, clinical, echocardiographic, angiographic data. During one year follow up period there were 61 cases of cardiac death. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed, that pts with diabetes mellitus vs pts without diabetes mellitus more often were female, aged >65 years, had arterial hypertension, obesity and sinusal tachycardia, severe acute left ventricular failure, three - vessel coronary disease, episodes of paroxysmal atrial flutter during acute phase of acute coronary syndrome (p<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that these variables remained independent predictors for lethal outcome and had OR from 1.6 to 9.5 in pts without diabetes mellitus. The presence of diabetes mellitus increased the value of OR of these variables 1.5-2.5 fold and this followed to the further stratification of pts. The value > and =14 of general risk score in multivariate model indicated the high risk for lethal outcome during one-year period. Almost half of pts (48.3%) with diabetes mellitus had the high risk, a 36.5 percent of them died during follow up. The sensitivity of risk score in predicting mortality was 37.3 percent in high risk group and 58.8 percent in low risk group, specificity--96.7 percent and 82.7 percent respectively. CONCLUSION: These results imply that the presence of diabetes mellitus in pts with acute coronary syndrome increases risk for lethal outcome two-fold during one-year period after acute coronary syndrome.

The prevention of dementia with antihypertensive treatment: new evidence from the Systolic Hypertension in Europe (Syst-Eur) study.

BACKGROUND: After the double-blind, placebo-controlled Systolic Hypertension in Europe (Syst-Eur) trial ended in February 1997, randomized patients were offered active study medication for a further period of observation. OBJECTIVE: To refine the estimates of the long-term effects of antihypertensive therapy on the incidence of dementia. METHODS: Eligible patients had no dementia and were at least 60 years old. Their systolic blood pressure at entry was 160 to 219 mm Hg, with diastolic blood pressure below 95 mm Hg. Antihypertensive therapy was started immediately after randomization in the active treatment group, but only after termination of the double-blind trial in the control patients. Treatment consisted of nitrendipine (10-40 mg/d), with the possible addition of enalapril maleate (5-20 mg/d), hydrochlorothiazide (12.5-25 mg/d), or both add-on drugs. RESULTS: Median follow-up increased from 2.0 years in the double-blind trial to 3.9 years overall. The incidence of dementia doubled from 32 to 64 cases, 41 of whom had Alzheimer disease. Throughout follow-up, systolic/diastolic blood pressure was 7.0/3.2 mm Hg higher in the 1417 control patients than in the 1485 subjects randomized to active treatment. At the last examination, the blood pressure difference was still 4.2/2.9 mm Hg; 48.1%, 26.4%, and 11.4% of the control patients were taking nitrendipine, enalapril, and/or hydrochlorothiazide, whereas in the active treatment group these proportions were 70.2%, 35.4%, and 18.4%, respectively. Compared with the controls, long-term antihypertensive therapy reduced the risk of dementia by 55%, from 7.4 to 3.3 cases per 1000 patient-years (43 vs 21 cases, P<.001). After adjustment for sex, age, education, and entry blood pressure, the relative hazard rate associated with the use of nitrendipine was 0.38 (95% confidence interval, 0.23-0.64; P<.001). Treatment of 1000 patients for 5 years can prevent 20 cases of dementia (95% confidence interval, 7-33). CONCLUSION: The extended follow-up of Syst-Eur patients reinforces the evidence that blood pressure-lowering therapy initiated with a long-acting dihydropyridine protects against dementia in older patients with systolic hypertension.