[Knowledge of hypertension and blood pressure measurement procedure among students of last year of medical school in Cracow].

The knowledge about hypertension--especially its diagnosis and therapy--among graduates of medical schools, is very important in view of hypertensive epidemics. The aim of this study was to assess the medical graduate's knowledge about recommended technique of blood pressure (BP) measurements, the factors affecting BP measurement value, the WHO/ISH--1999 hypertension diagnostic criteria, and its complications and basic therapy rules. The questionnaire investigating the respondent's knowledge was filled out by 132 medical students of the 6th year Medical College of the Jagiellonian University, in Cracow, from February till June 2000.

Normal blood pressure values as perceived by normotensive and hypertensive subjects.

In spite of considerable progress, the control of hypertension in most countries is still insufficient. One of the reasons may be the poor awareness of the blood pressure (BP) cutoff values that define hypertension. The aim of this report is to verify the hypothesis that patients with hypertension accept higher BP levels as normal.

[Knowledge about hypertension and blood pressure level].

Background: The improvement of efficacy of the hypertension prevention and patient education largely depend on determination of the hypertension risk factors and increase in knowledge about hypertension. The aim of this study was to assess correlation between the environmental factors and knowledge about hypertension and occasionally measured blood pressure values.

Materials And Methods: The studied group consisted of 485 subjects, who voluntarily participated in the street-based hypertension screening program in Cracow (summer 1997).

QT dispersion and hypertensive heart disease in the elderly.

Aim: To determine the predictors and risk of increased QT dispersion in the elderly hypertensive patients.

Methods: A 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), M-mode echocardiography and ambulatory blood pressure as well as Holter monitoring were performed for 67 patients over 60 years of age with essential hypertension (I and II(o) WHO). The presence of ischaemic changes on ECG was evaluated based on the Minnesota Code.

Obesity and blood pressure in the elderly free-living population.

Objective: The aim of presented analysis was to determine the relationship between blood pressure (BP) and different indices of obesity in the elderly free-living population.

Design And Methods: In 317 inhabitants of the randomly chosen area of Cracow (70 years old and older) who could come to the out-patient clinic for an interview, BP, weight and height were taken. Body mass index (BMI) was used to classify the population into lean (BMI < 25 kg/m2), overweight (25 < or = BMI < 30 kg/m2) and obese (BMI > or = 30 kg/m2) subjects.

Isolated systolic hypertension: pathophysiology, consequences and therapeutic benefits.

During recent decades the importance of perceiving isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) in cardiovascular pathophysiology has been changed from a benign condition to the major cardiovascular risk factor. Aging is per se associated with the deterioration in arterial compliance through both structural and functional changes in large arteries which mainly involves the intima and media. The observed changes result in a decrease of the lumen-to-wall ratio, the overall lumen cross-sectional area and an increase of arterial stiffness which especially involve the aorta and other elastic arteries.

Subgroup and per-protocol analysis of the randomized European Trial on Isolated Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly.

Background: In 1989, the European Working Party on High Blood Pressure in the Elderly started the double-blind, placebo-controlled, Systolic Hypertension in Europe Trial to test the hypothesis that antihypertensive drug treatment would reduce the incidence of fatal and nonfatal stroke in older patients with isolated systolic hypertension. This report addresses whether the benefit of antihypertensive treatment varied according to sex, previous cardiovascular complications, age, initial blood pressure (BP), and smoking or drinking habits in an intention-to-treat analysis and explores whether the morbidity and mortality results were consistent in a per-protocol analysis.

Methods: After stratification for center, sex, and cardiovascular complications, 4695 patients 60 years of age or older with a systolic BP of 160 to 219 mm Hg and diastolic BP less than 95 mm Hg were randomized.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and postprandial hypotension in elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension. Systolic Hypertension in Europe (SYST-EUR) Trial Investigators.

The present analysis was undertaken to evaluate postprandial (PP) changes in blood pressure (BP) assessed with ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) in elderly subjects with isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) on conventional measurement. A total of 530 patients (335 women and 195 men, aged 60-100 years, median 70 years) who performed an ABPM during the placebo run-in period of the Syst-Eur trial were included into the analysis. The PP changes in BP and heart rate (HR) were calculated by subtracting the mean systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP) and HR in the 2 h preceding the main meal from the corresponding means covering the 2 h after the meal.

[Blood morphology in elderly persons over 90 years old].

In order to assess blood cell count in a late senescence we examined 56 persons (44 women and 12 men) in age 90-99, in a good condition. Over 70% of obtained results were in normal range. The most frequent abnormalities were: anemia (28.

[Involutional osteoporosis--etiopathogenesis and treatment].

Osteoporosis is a unique disease of old people. It is progressing from 5-th decade of life. The following factors are increasing progress of the disease: estrogen (and androgen) deficiency, low calcium diet, small physical activity, low body weight (body mass index).

[Serum lipids in persons over 90 years of age].

Unlabelled: Because of different views on the significance of the serum lipids as a risk factor of atherosclerosis in the elderly we evaluated the levels of total cholesterol (CH), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-CH) and triglyceride (TG) in the group of 56 very old (over the 90), who were in a good health condition. Desirable values of lipids were found respectively: CH in 55.4% of subjects, HDL-CH in 85.

Prevalence of autoantibodies in the very elderly: association with symptoms of ischemic heart disease.

The mechanisms leading to the increased expression of autoantibodies in the elderly are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the presence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) is associated with the prevalence of autoantibodies in the elderly over 85 years of age. Anti-nuclear (ANA), anti-smooth muscle (SMA), anti-mitochondrial (AMA), thyroid anti-microsomal autoantibodies (anti-Tg) and antibodies to gastric parietal cells (PCA) were determined in selected groups of healthy subjects and patients with IHD.

[Prevalence of autoantibodies in serum of healthy persons over 85 years of age].

Aging is believed to be associated with the increase in the frequency of autoantibodies. However, as the recent studies suggest the immunological defects are not the consequence of the aging process but they could be a result of underlying diseases. We investigated the prevalence of the anti-nuclear (ANA), anti-mitochondrial (AMA), anti-smooth muscle (SMA), antibodies to gastric parietal cells (PCA) and thyroid anti-microsomal autoantibodies (anti-Tg) in the sera of the selected healthy elderly over 85 years of age.

Influence of long-term treatment with nifedipine on blood pressure, left ventricular mass and cardiac arrhythmias in elderly hypertensive patients.

To determine the benefits of the long-term monotherapy with nifedipine in the elderly hypertensive patients, 100 subjects > 60 years old were included to the trial. Therapeutic efficacy of nifedipine was confirmed in 69% of the patients and resulted in reduction of SBP by 20.9% and DBP by 19.

[Use of nifedipine in elderly patients with essential hypertension: patient compliance, safety and efficacy of therapy].

The aim of the study was to evaluate chronic treatment with Cordafen (nifedipine) in the out-patients over 60 years of age with established arterial hypertension. Out of 100 out-patients aged 60-83 years 69 subjects completed one-year study. The main reasons of drop-outs were: lack of patient compliance (12%), severe side effects (11%), ineffective monotherapy (5%) and other (3%).

[Rhythm and conduction disorders among the adult population. Epidemiologic data].

2.487 resting ECG were examined which is 61.3% of randomly chosen group of inhabitants of Cracow, aged from 20 to 93.

[Polycardiographic evaluation of left ventricular function in the elderly].

Polycardiographic recordings have been carried out in 57 individuals (16 men and 41 women), aged between 70 and 97 years (mean age 78.3 years), both at rest and during the stimulation of circulatory system by the cooling of hand. Systolic time intervals of the left ventricle and QT/QS2 ratio have been evaluated.

Distribution of blood pressure and prevalence of arterial hypertension in the old population of Cracow.

The aim of the present epidemiological study was to recognize the distribution of blood pressure (BP) and the prevalence of arterial hypertension (AH) in the aged (> or = 70 years) population in Cracow. The data were obtained from the studied group of 512 persons (153 men and 359 women) which corresponds to 72.4% of the randomly chosen group.

Acute and long-term treatment of hypertension with nifedipine in the elderly.

The acute hypotensive effect of nifedipine was evaluated, and the possibility of its long-term use in hypertensives over 60 years of age was studied. Sublingual nifedipine in a dose of 20 mg was given to 28 patients, mean age 73.1 yrs, and blood pressure, heart rate, and plasma drug concentration were monitored at 15 min, and every 30 min thereafter for 3 hrs.

Long-term study of borderline hypertension among male industrial workers.

Out of 1,236 men aged 40-59 years working in the same industrial plant, 253 (20.5%) had borderline arterial hypertension (BH). These employees and 237 matched normotensives were followed for several years.