Blood pressure altering method affects correlation with pulse arrival time.

Objective: Pulse arrival time (PAT) is a potential main feature in cuff-less blood pressure (BP) monitoring. However, the precise relationship between BP parameters and PAT under varying conditions lacks a complete understanding. We hypothesize that simple test protocols fail to demonstrate the complex relationship between PAT and both SBP and DBP.

Treatment of high blood pressure in elderly and octogenarians: European Society of Hypertension statement on blood pressure targets.

The European Society of Hypertension recommend the following main rules for treatment of hypertension in elderly and octogenarians: 1) In elderly hypertensives with SBP ≥ 160 mmHg there is solid evidence to recommend reducing SBP to between 140 mmHg and 150 mmHg. 2) In fit elderly patients less than 80 years old treatment may be considered at SBP ≥ 140 mmHg with a target SBP < 140 mmHg if treatment is well tolerated. 3) In fit individuals older than 80 years with an initial SBP ≥ 160 mmHg it is recommended to reduce SBP to between 150 mmHg and 140 mmHg.

Adjusted drug treatment is superior to renal sympathetic denervation in patients with true treatment-resistant hypertension.

We aimed to investigate for the first time the blood pressure (BP)-lowering effect of renal sympathetic denervation (RDN) versus clinically adjusted drug treatment in true treatment-resistant hypertension (TRH) after excluding patients with confounding poor drug adherence. Patients with apparent TRH (n=65) were referred for RDN, and those with secondary and spurious hypertension (n=26) were excluded. TRH was defined as office systolic BP (SBP) >140 mm Hg, despite maximally tolerated doses of ≥3 antihypertensive drugs including a diuretic.

[Renal sympathetic denervation in treatment-resistant hypertension].

Background: Renal denervation (RDN) has been introduced as a potential new treatment for patients with treatment-resistant hypertension, defined as a blood pressure above 140/90 mm Hg despite treatment with at least three antihypertensive drugs. We present an overview of this type of treatment, describe the method and discuss its possible future uses.

Method: The review is based on a discretionary selection of relevant articles from our archive, our own experience and a literature search in PubMed.

Hypertension in women: latest findings and clinical implications.

Cardiovascular disease claims more women's lives than any other disease. Hypertension is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease in women but is often underestimated and undiagnosed and there is an ongoing misperception that women are at a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than men. The attainment of clinical blood pressure goals can markedly reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, yet approximately two-thirds of treated hypertensive women have uncontrolled blood pressure.

Reproducibility of blood pressure variability, white-coat effect and dipping pattern in untreated, uncomplicated and newly diagnosed essential hypertension.

Objective: To investigate the reproducibility of blood pressure (BP) variability, white-coat effect (WCE) and nocturnal dipping pattern in untreated patients with uncomplicated essential hypertension using 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM).

Methods: Seventy-five newly diagnosed, untreated essential hypertensive subjects (54 men, 21 women 47.6 +/- 9.

[Type 2 diabetes and nephropathy--new studies, new treatment strategies?].

Background: In industrialised countries the incidence of type 2 diabetes-associated end stage renal disease has doubled over the last ten years. It is important to lower the blood pressure to inhibit progression of renal failure and to prevent micro- and macrovascular disease in these patients. There is an ongoing discussion on what should be the drug of choice.