BACKGROUND

Blood pressure is an important vital sign measured not only in hypertension but also among hospitalized patients for clinical evaluation of the actual hemodynamic status. In the digital era, mercury and aneroid sphygmomanometers are being replaced by automated monitors despite lacking validation and recommendations for their use, especially in acute illness.

To compare automated and manual blood pressure measurement among hospitalized medical patients with acute illness.

A crossover design was used in a single tertiary hospital. Blood pressure was recorded from 216 participants, with 432 observations from an automated monitor (Omron HBP1120) and a mercury sphygmomanometer. Automated and manual BP recordings were done twice following the same arm sequential method. The average of the two recordings was used for comparison.

Most participants were female, elderly, obese, and had cardiac complaints. Comparing automated and manual methods, the mean difference for systolic was 1.47 ± 12.12 (p = 0.08) and 1.82 ± 10.99 (p=0.02) for diastolic. Subgroup analysis revealed that males had higher manual systolic BP than females (pairwise p-value= 0.017). Overweight and obese participants had higher automated systolic and diastolic BP (p=0.04). Overweight and obese participants had significantly higher systolic and diastolic BP regardless of the method. Significantly higher diastolic BP for different age groups and areas of admission (p=0.02) were observed from the automated method.

Automated BP monitoring showed a significant difference in diastolic BP recordings. Automated BP monitors should be used with caution, especially in interpreting diastolic BP among hospitalized patients.

Humans ; Blood Pressure/physiology* ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Hypertension/drug therapy* ; Antihypertensive Agents/therapeutic use*

Humans ; Albumins ; Albuminuria/urine* ; Blood Pressure ; China/epidemiology* ; Creatinine ; Risk Factors ; Aged

Sodium ; Wastewater ; Potassium ; Diet ; Blood Pressure ; China ; Sodium, Dietary ; Sodium Chloride, Dietary

BACKGROUND Hypertension is the most common risk factor for cardiovascular disease in the Philippines. Despite the availability of antihypertensive medications that are effective, safe, and tolerated by Filipino patients, the numbers of uncontrolled hypertensives are still increasing. Several factors play in the poor control of blood pressure, particularly resistant hypertension and hyperactive sympathetic nervous system. Renal denervation therapy is a novel device that has been shown to lower blood pressure in patients with resistant and difficult-to-treat hypertension and is deemed safe in clinical trials. A Philippine Working Group composed of specialists in cardiology, hypertension, vascular surgery, and clinical epidemiology has come up with consensus statements in identifying patients who will benefit from the procedure. Locally, there is a need to have hypertension centers treating uncontrolled and resistant hypertension and offer renal denervation therapy to appropriate Filipino patients.
Blood Pressure

Background: Hypertension is associated with the improvement of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. A healthy diet based on consuming natural foods can prevent and control hypertension. Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of tomato and cucumber juice in reducing the blood pressure of hypertensive patients. Methods: The study used a quasi-experiment pretest-posttest control group design. The target population are people with hypertension Stage 1, people living in urban area - Cibiru Health Centre Work Area. Purposive sampling was used and the sample size was calculated using the average comparison formula with effect size=0.9, α=0.05, β =0.2. Forty-five subjects involved in the study were divided into three groups (15 subjects were given tomato juice, 15 subjects were given cucumber juice, and 15 subjects were given treatment with mineral water (control group)., This research used 100 grams of ripe red tomatoes, 100 grams of fresh cucumber, and 200 ml of water. The data collected were patient characteristics and blood pressure. The ANOVA analysis test and the Bonferroni Post Hoc test were used to analyze the data. Results: The results of the study showed a difference in blood pressure reduction in each group. The decrease in systolic blood pressure in the tomato juice group was 7.3+3.1, the cucumber juice group was 4.2+3.3, and the control group was -0.0+2.5 (p=0.0001). The decrease in diastolic blood pressure in the group given tomato juice was 9.2+3.1, the group given cucumber juice was 7.6+3.4, and the control group was 0.4+2.1 (p=0.0001). Conclusion There is a difference in blood pressure reduction between the group given tomato juice and the control group, and there is a difference in blood pressure between the group given cucumber juice and the control group.
Blood Pressure

BACKGROUND: Intensive systolic blood pressure (SBP) control improved outcomes in the Strategy of Blood Pressure Intervention in the Elderly Hypertensive Patients (STEP) trial. Whether baseline serum lipid parameters influence the benefits of intensive SBP control is unclear. METHODS: The STEP trial was a randomized controlled trial that compared the effects of intensive (SBP target of 110 to <130 mmHg) and standard (SBP target of 130 to <150 mmHg) SBP control in Chinese patients aged 60 to 80 years with hypertension. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular disease events. A total of 8283 participants from the STEP study were included in this post hoc analysis to examine whether the effects of the SBP intervention differed by baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) concentrations. RESULTS: Regardless of the randomized SBP intervention, baseline LDL-C and non-HDL-C concentrations had a J-shaped association with the hazard of the primary outcome. However, the effects of the intensive SBP intervention on the primary outcome were not influenced by baseline LDL-C level ( P for interaction = 0.80) and non-HDL-C level ( P for interaction = 0.95). Adjusted subgroup analysis using tertiles in LDL-C1 (hazard ratio [HR], 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.52-1.13; P = 0.18), LDL-C2 (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.55-1.20; P = 0.29), and LDL-C3 (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.47-0.98; P = 0.04) was provided, with an interaction P value of 0.49. Similar results were showed in non-HDL-C1 (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.59-1.29; P = 0.49), non-HDL-C2 (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.48-1.04; P = 0.08), and non-HDL-C3 (HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.47-0.95; P = 0.03), with an interaction P -value of 0.47. CONCLUSION: High baseline serum LDL-C and non-HDL-C concentrations were associated with increased risk of primary cardiovascular disease outcome, but there was no evidence that the benefit of the intensive SBP control differed by baseline LDL-C and non-HDL-C concentrations. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03015311.
Aged ; Humans ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Blood Pressure/physiology* ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Hypertension ; Cholesterol ; Risk Factors

Humans ; Blood Pressure/physiology* ; Cohort Studies ; Patient Discharge ; Ischemic Stroke ; Stroke ; Brain Ischemia ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Hypertension

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been reported to be associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The amygdala may have an important role in regulating cardiovascular function. This study aims to explore the effect of amygdala glutamate receptors (GluRs) on cardiovascular activity in a rat model of PTSD. A compound stress method combining electrical stimulation and single prolonged stress was used to prepare the PTSD model, and the difference of weight gain before and after modeling and the elevated plus maze were used to assess the PTSD model. In addition, the distribution of retrogradely labeled neurons was observed using the FluoroGold (FG) retrograde tracking technique. Western blot was used to analyze the changes of amygdala GluRs content. To further investigate the effects, artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF), non-selective GluR blocker kynurenic acid (KYN) and AMPA receptor blocker CNQX were microinjected into the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) in the PTSD rats, respectively. The changes in various indices following the injection were observed using in vivo multi-channel synchronous recording technology. The results indicated that, compared with the control group, the PTSD group exhibited significantly lower weight gain (P < 0.01) and significantly decreased ratio of open arm time (OT%) (P < 0.05). Retrograde labeling of neurons was observed in the CeA after microinjection of 0.5 µL FG in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). The content of AMPA receptor in the PTSD group was lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05), while there was no significant differences in RVLM neuron firing frequency and heart rate (P > 0.05) following ACSF injection. However, increases in RVLM neuron firing frequency and heart rate were observed after the injection of KYN or CNQX into the CeA (P < 0.05) in the PTSD group. These findings suggest that AMPA receptors in the amygdala are engaged in the regulation of cardiovascular activity in PTSD rats, possibly by acting on inhibitory pathways.
Rats ; Animals ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic ; Receptors, AMPA ; 6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione/pharmacology* ; Receptors, Glutamate/metabolism* ; Amygdala ; Weight Gain ; Medulla Oblongata/physiology* ; Blood Pressure

Humans ; Blood Pressure/physiology* ; Hypertension/prevention & control* ; Body Mass Index ; Healthy Lifestyle