High blood pressure in the emergency department as an opportunistic screening tool for detection of hypertension.

Hypertension is the most preventable cause of morbidity and mortality, but many individuals are underdiagnosed and lack treatment control. High blood pressure (BP) in the emergency department (ED) is commonly observed, but mostly used for short-term evaluation. We aimed to study the usefulness of high BP in the ED as a screening tool for undiagnosed hypertension.

Long-term secondary prevention and outcome following acute coronary syndrome: real-world results from the Swedish Primary Care Cardiovascular Database.

Aims: Most studies of treatment adherence after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are based on prescribed drugs and lack long-term follow-up or consecutive data on risk factor control. We studied the long-term treatment adherence, risk factor control, and its association to recurrent ACS and death.

Methods And Results: We retrospectively included 3765 patients (mean age 75 years, 40% women) with incident ACS from 1 January 2006 until 31 December 2010 from the Swedish Primary Care Cardiovascular Database of Skaraborg.

Long-term risk-factor control and secondary prevention are insufficient after first TIA: Results from QregPV.

Introduction: Long-term risk-factor control and secondary prevention are not well characterized in patients with a first transient ischemic attack (TIA). With baseline levels as reference, we compared primary-care data on blood pressure (BP), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), smoking, and use of antihypertensives, statins and antiplatelet treatment/oral anticoagulation (APT/OAC) during 5 years after a first TIA.

Patients And Methods: Patients in QregPV, a Swedish primary-care register for the Region of Västra Götaland, with a first TIA discharge diagnosis from wards proficient in stroke care 2010 to 2012 were identified and followed up to 5 years.

The Value of Exercise Electrocardiography in Outpatients with Stable Chest Pain and Low Pre-Test Probability of Significant Coronary Artery Disease.

The role of exercise electrocardiography (ECG) in the investigation of stable chest pain has been questioned. The American Heart Association guidelines suggest the use of exercise ECG in patients with stable chest pain and low pre-test probability (PTP) of significant coronary artery disease, while the European Society of Cardiology Guidelines does not. This retrospective observational study aimed to assess the usefulness of exercise ECG in the low-PTP population with stable chest pain.

The effect of statins on mortality and cardiovascular disease in primary care hypertensive patients without other cardiovascular disease or diabetes.

Aims: Studies in primary healthcare (PHC) assessing the effect of primary prevention with statins on mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are scarce. This study aimed to estimate the effect of statins on all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke in individuals in PHC with hypertension without CVD or diabetes.

Methods And Results: Using the Swedish PHC quality assurance register QregPV, the study included 13 193 individuals with hypertension without CVD or diabetes, who had filled a first statin prescription between 2010 and 2016, and 13 193 matched controls without a filled statin prescription at the index date.

Hypertension: sex-related differences in drug treatment, prevalence and blood pressure control in primary care.

Antihypertensive treatment is equally beneficial for reducing cardiovascular risk in both men and women. Despite this, the drug treatment, prevalence and control of hypertension differ between men and women. Men and women respond differently, particularly with respect to the risk of adverse events, to many antihypertensive drugs.

Prediabetes and incident heart failure in hypertensive patients: Results from the Swedish Primary Care Cardiovascular Database.

Backgrounds And Aims: The cardiovascular risk conferred by concomitant prediabetes in hypertension is unclear. We aimed to examine the impact of prediabetes on incident heart failure (HF) and all-cause mortality, and to describe time in therapeutic blood pressure range (TTR) in a hypertensive real-world primary care population.

Methods And Results: In this retrospective cohort study, 9628 hypertensive individuals with a fasting plasma glucose (FPG) in 2006-2010 but no diabetes, cardiovascular or renal disease were followed to 2016; median follow-up was 9 years.

Socioeconomic status affects achievement of blood pressure target in hypertension: contemporary results from the Swedish primary care cardiovascular database.

Objective: To assess the relation between socioeconomic status and achievement of target blood pressure in hypertension.

Design: Retrospective longitudinal cohort study between 2001 and 2014.

Setting: Primary health care in Skaraborg, Sweden.

Trends in blood pressure, blood lipids, and smoking from 259 753 patients with hypertension in a Swedish primary care register: results from QregPV.

Aims: To describe 8-year trends in blood pressure (BP) control, blood lipid control, and smoking habits in patients with hypertension from QregPV, a primary care register in the Region of Västra Götaland, Sweden.

Methods And Results: QregPV features clinical data on BP, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and smoking habits in 392 277 patients with hypertension or coronary heart disease or diabetes mellitus or any combination of the three diagnoses. Data from routine clinical practice have been automatically reported on a monthly basis to QregPV from all primary care centres in Västra Götaland (population 1.

Blood pressure levels and risk of haemorrhagic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation and oral anticoagulants: results from The Swedish Primary Care Cardiovascular Database of Skaraborg.

Objective: To assess the risk of haemorrhagic stroke at different baseline SBP levels in a primary care population with hypertension, atrial fibrillation and newly initiated oral anticoagulants (OACs).

Methods: We identified 3972 patients with hypertension, atrial fibrillation and newly initiated OAC in The Swedish Primary Care Cardiovascular Database of Skaraborg. Patients were followed from 1 January 2006 until a first event of haemorrhagic stroke, death, cessation of OAC or 31 December 2016.

Relation Between Lipid Profile and New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Patients With Systemic Hypertension (From the Swedish Primary Care Cardiovascular Database [SPCCD]).

The relation between dyslipidemia and atrial fibrillation (AF) development is still controversial. To assess the impact of lipid profile on new-onset AF, we followed 51,020 primary-care hypertensive patients without AF at baseline. After a mean follow-up time of 3.

Primary aldosteronism and thyroid disorders in atrial fibrillation: A Swedish nationwide case-control study.

Background Atrial fibrillation is associated with hyperthyroidism. Patients with primary aldosteronism have an increased prevalence of atrial fibrillation. However, the prevalence of primary aldosteronism in the atrial fibrillation population is unknown.

Aldosterone to Renin Ratio as a Screening Instrument for Primary Aldosteronism in a Middle-Aged Population with Atrial Fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation seems to be overrepresented among patients with primary aldosteronism. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of aldosterone to renin ratio as a screening instrument for primary aldosteronism in an atrial fibrillation population with relatively low cardiovascular risk profile. A total of 149 patients <65 years and with history of AF were screened for primary aldosteronism using aldosterone to renin ratio.

Antihypertensive control and new-onset atrial fibrillation: Results from the Swedish Primary Care Cardiovascular Database (SPCCD).

Background Atrial fibrillation is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Hypertension is an important risk factor for the development of atrial fibrillation. Aim This study assessed the relationship between blood pressure control and new-onset atrial fibrillation in hypertensive patients.

Antihypertensive effect of low-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in comparison with drug treatment.

Hypertension is a major risk factor for vascular disease, yet blood pressure (BP) control is unsatisfactory low, partly due to side-effects. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is well tolerated and studies have demonstrated BP reduction. In this study, we compared the BP lowering effect of 2.