Association between depression and hypertension using classic and revised blood pressure thresholds.

Background: In a primary care population, the relationship between treatment of depression and hypertension (HTN) under the recently revised American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association HTN thresholds for diagnosing HTN is unknown.

Objective: To compare the association between changes in severity of co-occurring depression and HTN over time using the newly revised versus previous HTN guidelines.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, outpatients ≥18 years (n = 3018) with clinically significant depressive symptoms and elevated blood pressure at baseline were divided into a 'revised' guideline group (baseline blood pressure ≥130/80 mmHg), a 'classic' guideline group (≥140/90 mmHg) and a 'revised-minus-classic' group (≥130/80 and <140/90 mmHg).

A case of mistaken identity: alcohol withdrawal, schizophrenia, or central pontine myelinolysis?

Demyelination is a hallmark of central pontine myelinolysis (CPM). Neuropsychiatric manifestations of this condition include weakness, quadriplegia, pseudobulbar palsy, mood changes, psychosis, and cognitive disturbances. These psychiatric symptoms are also associated with schizophrenia and alcohol withdrawal.