Personal and Interpersonal Factors Moderate the Relation Between Human-Made Trauma and Hypertension: A Path Analysis Approach.

Background: Although the link between trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and hypertension is established, its underlying mechanisms remain underexplored.

Objective: This study tested a theoretical model exploring the moderating influence of psychological (emotion regulation) and interpersonal (social support) factors on the mediation between trauma and hypertension, through PTSD.

Methods: We measured these variables through self-reported questionnaire on 212 patients, recruited from internal medicine in a general hospital of Bukavu, a region affected by more than 25 years of armed conflicts.

Drug adherence and psychological factors in patients with apparently treatment-resistant hypertension: Yes but which ones?

The aim of the study was to assess drug adherence, as well as association of psychological factors with both drug adherence and severity of hypertension in two subtypes of patients with apparently treatment-resistant hypertension (ATRH): younger patients with uncomplicated hypertension (YURHTN) versus patients ≥60-year-old and/or with a history of cardio- or cerebrovascular complication (OCRHTN). Drug adherence was assessed in urine by targeted Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. The severity of hypertension was assessed by 24-h ambulatory blood pressure adjusted for the number of antihypertensive drugs and for drug adherence.

Psychological determinants of drug adherence and severity of hypertension in patients with apparently treatment-resistant vs. controlled hypertension.

Purpose: In a pilot study including 35 patients with apparently treatment-resistant hypertension (ATRH), we documented associations between psychological profile, drug adherence and severity of hypertension. The current study aims to confirm and expand our findings in a larger and more representative sample of patients with ATRH, using controlled hypertensive patients as the comparator.

Materials And Methods: Patients with ATRH were enrolled in hypertension centres from Brussels and Torino.

Impact of drug adherence on blood pressure response to alcohol-mediated renal denervation.

Purpose: While poor drug adherence is frequent in patients with resistant hypertension, detailed analyses of the impact of drug adherence on the success of renal denervation are scarce. We report drug adherence at baseline, changes in drug adherence, and the influence of these parameters on blood pressure changes at 6 and 12 months in patients treated with alcohol-mediated renal denervation as part of the Peregrine study.

Materials And Methods: Urinary detection of antihypertensive drugs was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Association between post-traumatic stress disorder and hypertension in Congolese exposed to violence: a case-control study.

Background: Numerous risk factors have been involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension. The contribution of psychological factors, including post-traumatic stress disorder, remains largely underexplored, despite their potential role in hypertension.

Objectives: We compared the prevalence of trauma, post-traumatic stress and other psychological disorders between hypertensive and normotensive patients from Bukavu (Democratic Republic of Congo), a 25-year war-exposed city.

Adherence to antihypertensive drug treatment in kidney transplant recipients.

Purpose: Hypertension is a common cardiovascular co-morbidity after kidney transplantation and contributes to shortened graft and patient survival outcomes. However, by contrast with adherence to immunosuppressive drugs, adherence to antihypertensive treatment in kidney transplant recipients has been seldom explored. The aim of the current study was to assess adherence to antihypertensive drugs in kidney transplant recipients from the Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc and to look for demographic and clinical characteristics associated with drug adherence.

Efficacy and Safety of Armolipid Plus: An Updated PRISMA Compliant Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials.

Armolipid Plus is a multi-constituent nutraceutical that claims to improve lipid profiles. The aim of this PRISMA compliant systematic review and meta-analysis was to globally evaluate the efficacy and safety of Armolipid Plus on the basis of the available randomized, blinded, controlled clinical trials (RCTs). A systematic literature search in several databases was conducted in order to identify RCTs assessing the efficacy and safety of dietary supplementation with Armolipid Plus.

Safety Evaluation of α-Lipoic Acid Supplementation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Studies.

Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is a natural short-chain fatty acid that has attracted great attention in recent years as an antioxidant molecule. However, some concerns have been recently raised regarding its safety profile. To address the issue, we aimed to assess ALA safety profile through a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis of the available randomized placebo-controlled clinical studies.

Benefit of serum drug monitoring complementing urine analysis to assess adherence to antihypertensive drugs in first-line therapy.

With obesity having doubled in the last decade, hypertension is on the rise. In one-third of hypertensive patients the metabolic syndrome is present. This might be one factor for the increasing number of prescriptions for angiotensin receptor blockers and calcium-channel blockers besides a more favorable risk-to-benefit ratio.

Assessment of adherence to diuretics and β-blockers by serum drug monitoring in comparison to urine analysis.

Toxicological screenings for identifying antihypertensive drugs proved to be a useful tool for assessing adherence. However, misinterpretation may occur in case of highly metabolised drugs with low renal excretion, as well as for drugs with a prolonged detectability. The aim of the present study was to compare a recently developed therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) method based on serum concentrations to an urine drug detection method for assessing adherence in outpatients.

Predictors of blood pressure control in patients with resistant hypertension after intensive management in two expert centres: the Brussels-Torino experience.

Management of resistant hypertension (RHTN) is challenging and often implies the use of complex polypharmacy and interventional therapies. The main objectives of this study were (i) to describe the characteristics of patients with RHTN referred to two expert centres; (ii) to identify predictors of blood pressure (BP) control after intensive management. We reviewed electronic medical files of all patients referred for RHTN to the Brussels and Torino centres, and extracted detailed clinical data, informations on drug adherence and psychological profile.

Impact of psychological profile on drug adherence and drug resistance in patients with apparently treatment-resistant hypertension.

Purpose: Patients with apparent treatment-resistant hypertension (a-TRH) are often poorly adherent to drug treatment and have an unusual personal history and psychological profile. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of drug adherence and drug resistance in a cohort of patients with aTRH, with emphasis on psychological characteristics.

Methods: All patients with confirmed aTRH on standardized antihypertensive treatment were eligible.