Estimation of populational 24-h urinary sodium and potassium excretion from spot urine samples: evaluation of four formulas in a large national representative population.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the validity of the estimation of 24-h urinary sodium (UNa) and urinary potassium (UK) excretion obtained through four formulae based on occasional urine samples.

Design And Methods: We analysed 2399 individuals (51% females) aged 18 to 96 years representatives of Portuguese population. Tanaka, Kawasaki, INTERSALT and NHANES formulae were used to predict 24-h UNa and UK excretions from spot morning urinary samples (OUrS).

Prevalence of microalbuminuria in hypertensive patients with or without type 2 diabetes in a Portuguese primary care setting: The RACE (micRoAlbumin sCreening survEy) study.

Introduction And Objectives: To determine the prevalence of microalbuminuria (MAU) in outpatients with hypertension and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and in normotensive, non-diabetic outpatients (control group); and, as secondary objectives, to examine the differences in the distribution of MAU in the four subgroups and the association of different clinical and epidemiological variables with MAU.

Methods: RACE (micRoAlbumin sCreening survEy) was a multicenter, descriptive observational cross-sectional study, which enrolled outpatients followed in primary care in Portugal. Patients with potential reasons for a false-positive MAU test were excluded.

Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension and salt intake in Portugal: changes over a decade. The PHYSA study.

Objective: To determine prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension and the 24-h sodium excretion (24h-UNa) in the Portuguese adult population and to examine their changes from a similar study done in 2003.

Design And Setting: A population-based cross-sectional survey conducted in 2011-2012.

Methods: A multistage-stratified (by age and sex) sampling method was used to select a representative sample of the 18-90-year-old population yielding 3720 participants (52.

Global cardiovascular risk stratification of hypertensive patients followed in Portugal in primary care or in hospital care according to the 2007 ESH/ESC guidelines.

Introduction: Hypertension is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular (CV) disease. Our aim was to assess and stratify the CV risk of two cohorts of hypertensive patients in Portugal attended in primary care (PC) or in outpatient hospital care (HC) using the global CV risk stratification model of the 2007 ESH/ESC guidelines.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of hypertensive patients (aged 18-75 years) enrolled in other population studies and attended in PC (n = 2299, 66 +/- 11 years, 64% women) or in HC (n = 2028, 51 +/- 14 years, 54.

Lack of adequate blood pressure control in the morning and evening periods in medicated hypertensive patients considered to be controlled in the office.

Background And Aim: In hypertensive patients tight blood pressure (BP) control during the critical morning and evening periods may be relevant for preventing cardiovascular events, which most frequently occur at these times of the day.

Methods: In a prospective study we evaluated 24h ambulatory BP (ABP) values (24h, daytime, nighttime, morning period between 6-10 am and evening period between 6-10 pm), in 103 hypertensive patients (HTs), aged between 18-79 years, considered to be controlled in the office in the previous two months (office BP < 140/90 mmHg, 2 x 3 readings, before taking medication), who were being treated with antihypertensive drugs taken once daily in the morning. Based on ABP data, HTs were considered to have good BP control if daytime BP values were < 135/85 mmHg, < 133.

Morning rise, morning surge and daytime variability of blood pressure and cardiovascular target organ damage. A cross-sectional study in 743 subjects.

Objective: To evaluate in a large population the relationship between cardiovascular target organ damage and values of the night-to-morning rise of systolic blood pressure (MR-BP), the morning surge of BP at the moment of rising (BP surge) and daytime BP variability (standard deviation [SD] of daytime BP).

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, evaluating 743 subjects, aged 30-75 years, 416 female, with normal renal function and no previous cardiovascular events. The population included: I-174 patients with type 2 diabetes, II-317 hypertensive patients with ongoing treatment over at least the previous 6 months, III-127 hypertensive patients untreated in the last 6 months, IV-125 healthy normotensive subjects.

Prognostic markers in treated hypertensive diabetic patients. 28-month follow-up.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus has a prevalence of about 6 to 10% in western populations, with a rising tendency due to inappropriate increases in calorie intake and decreased physical activity. In diabetic patients hypertension (HT) has a prevalence of over 60% and cerebro- and cardiovascular disease is responsible for two-thirds of the mortality in these patients.

Patients And Methods: We studied prospectively and consecutively 97 patients (age 63 +/- 8; 39-89) with treated type 2 diabetes and HT.

Does orthostatic hypotension predict the occurrence of nocturnal arterial hypertension in the elderly patient?

Objective: To determine whether the presence of orthostatic hypotension--which, in this age-group, could be due to varying degrees of autonomic dysfunction--is an indicator of nocturnal arterial hypertension.

Patients: Between 1999 and 2001 we prospectively and consecutively studied 93 elderly patients with untreated (office) arterial hypertension, 65 (70%) of whom were true hypertensives according to 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM).

Interventions: The patients were studied by clinical examination including blood pressure (BP) measurement in dorsal decubitus and orthostatic position, 24 h ABPM, evaluation of vascular distensibility by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) and Doppler echocardiography.

[Pulmonary hypertension. Topic review. 2 clinical cases].

The authors describe two cases of pulmonary hypertension (PHT). In the first case it is secondary to pulmonary thromboembolism, a frequent and serious occurrence, witch is well known as a cause of PHT. In the second case the PHT is probably secondary to infection by human immunodeficiency virus, also a serious and frequent condition in clinical practice but which was only recently identified as a cause of PHT.