Target organ complications and prognostic significance of alerting reaction: analysis from the Dallas Heart Study.

OBJECTIVE: Noninvasive blood pressure (BP) measurement often triggers a transient rise in BP, known as an alerting reaction. However, the prevalence and prognostic significance of the alerting reaction has never been assessed in the general population. METHODS: We evaluated the association between the alerting reaction and left ventricular mass by MRI and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio in the Dallas Heart Study, a large population sample of 3069 individuals. Participants were categorized into four groups based on levels of consecutive BP: first, normal first BP and average third to fifth (avg3-5) BP of less than 140/90 mmHg (control group); second, high first BP of at least 140/90 mmHg and normal (avg3-5) BP (alerting reaction group); third, normal first BP and high (avg3-5) BP; and fourth, high first to fifth BP. Then, associations between BP categories with incident cardiovascular outcomes (coronary heart disease, stroke, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and cardiovascular death) over a median follow-up period of 9.4 years were assessed. RESULTS: The sample-weighted prevalence of isolated hypertension during the first BP measurement was 9.6%. Presence of an alerting reaction was independently associated with increased left ventricular mass, urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, cardiovascular events after adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, and baseline BP (adjusted hazard ratio 1.24, 95% confidence interval 1.07-1.43). CONCLUSION: Our study indicated that the alerting reaction is independently associated with increased cardiovascular and renal complications.

Primary aldosteronism: evidence against a second epidemic.

Primary aldosteronism is widely held to be the most common cause of identifiable (secondary) hypertension, reported to be present in 6-10% of all hypertensive patients. This belief reflects the widespread use of the aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) as a screening test. Unfortunately, the ARR is often wrong, leading to even more expensive testing that is also often misleading but that may then lead to potentially harmful additional measures. This review provides evidence that referral bias has markedly inflated the estimates of this condition and recommends a much less aggressive approach to the diagnosis of this condition based on more limited testing and the use of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists in the treatment of most hypertensive patients.

The diastolic J curve: alive and threatening.

The occurrence of additional cardiovascular events when the diastolic blood pressure is lowered below a critical level is referred to as "the diastolic J curve." Although the critical level of diastolic blood pressure where the J curve begins is not certain, increasingly strong evidence from prospective, controlled studies has confirmed the existence of such a J curve. With the likely addition of more patients who will be treated more vigorously, in particular, elderly subjects with isolated systolic hypertension, the potential for an increase in the number of adverse cardiovascular events must be considered and caution used to avoid too low a diastolic blood pressure.

Can treating the diastolic blood pressure below a certain value increase cardiovascular risk?

The appearance of cardiovascular events when the diastolic blood pressure is lowered to some critical level is referred to as a "J-curve." Extensive data document the presence of a J-curve appearing when the diastolic blood pressure is lowered by antihypertensive medication to a level below 65 mm Hg, particularly in patients with underlying coronary heart disease even if such disease has not been clinically evident. Caution is needed in the more intensive and widespread treatment of hypertensive patients to avoid a J-curve.

Primary aldosteronism: A contrarian view.

This paper provides evidence that primary aldosteronism is likely much less common than is believed by the other authors of this collection. The basis for this contrarian view is simple: there is no way to know the true prevalence of PA because of the uncertain validity of all of the diagnostic procedures used to find and characterize this disease. Moreover, even if these uncertainties are overcome, the eventual treatment of most who have PA can be provided without the need for extensive testing and expensive treatment.

Current diagnosis and treatment of primary aldosteronism.

Primary aldosteronism is more common than previously recognized but much less common than most experts in this arena have recently stated. The recognition of autonomous hyperaldosteronism is not difficult but the identification of the source of excess aldosterone requires a costly and difficult procedure. Most patients with hyperaldosteronism turn out to have bilateral adrenal hyperplasia for which medical therapy with an aldosterone blocker is indicated. Many of these patients are not hypokalemic and can safely be treated without the need for a costly and usually negative work-up.