Mutual Effect Modification between Insulin Resistance and Endothelial Dysfunction in Predicting Incident Heart Failure in Hypertensives.

Insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction are associated with heart failure (HF). Our objective was to investigate whether endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance are independent predictors of incident HF and if a possible interaction exists between them. We enrolled 705 white never-treated hypertensives.

Competitive interaction between smoking and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for explaining renal function reduction in hypertensive patients.

Chronic kidney disease is a risk factor for cardiovascular events. Smoking and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are risk factors for renal impairment. The aim of this study was to test the combined effect of smoking and COPD on renal function decline in hypertensives.

Association Between Sleep Apnea and Valvular Heart Diseases.

Although sleep respiratory disorders are known as a relevant source of cardiovascular risk, there is a substantial lack of trials aimed to evaluate the eventual occurrence of associations between sleep apnea (SA) and valvular heart diseases (VHD). We recruited 411 patients referring to our sleep disorder unit, among which 371 had SA. Ninety-three subjects with SA also suffered from VHD.