A brief measure of high nicotine dependence for busy clinicians and large epidemiological surveys.

Objective: It is important to perform a routine screening of nicotine dependence in psychiatric patients. The Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) is a widely used six-item questionnaire. The Heavy Smoking Index (HSI) is a briefer measure including only two FTND items (time to first cigarette of day and number of daily cigarettes).

Continuing medical education and continuing medical education accreditation in Spain.

Nearly all Spanish physicians are employed by public or private institutions, and employers are enabling the continuing medical education (CME) of physicians. In view of coexisting CME accreditation systems in Spain, we conclude that a common approach is needed. We recommend establishing formal relationships with American and European systems to ensure consistent accreditation and mutual recognition of CME credits and improvement in accreditation.

Cardiac damage in hypertensive patients with inverse white coat hypertension. Hospitalet study.

Background: Few studies have assessed the relationship between ambulatory blood pressure (BP) and cardiac damage in essential hypertensive patients with inverse white coat hypertension (IWCH).

Objectives: To determine the frequency of IWCH in untreated grade 1-2 hypertension and to assess possible differences in cardiac damage among patients with IWCH, white coat hypertension (WCH) and the rest of patients with grade 1-2 hypertension.

Patients And Methods: Two hundred and eleven patients with grade 1-2 hypertension were sequentially included.

Blood pressure reactivity to mental stress task as a determinant of sustained hypertension after 5 years of follow-up.

Previous studies have reported an increased risk of developing sustained hypertension (SH) in borderline or mildly hypertensive subjects showing an exaggerated response of blood pressure (BP) to mental stress. The aim of this study was to assess if the response of BP to mental stress tasks is an independent predictor of SH. A total of 89 patients with grade 1 hypertension, aged 18-64 years, 62% males, were included.

The effect of age on the relationship of pulse pressure and left ventricular mass in untreated patients with mild to moderate hypertension.

Aim: To study the relationship between left ventricular mass (LMV) and pulse pressure (PP) in mild to moderate hypertensive patients according to age and gender.

Design And Methods: Two hundred and eleven patients aged 18-65 years, 56% males, with untreated mild to moderate hypertension, were included. A 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (BP) profile was recorded in 204 patients.

[Smoking prevalence in Catalonia (Spain), 1982-1998: a gender perspective].

Background: We aimed at describing the smoking prevalence trend among the Catalan population (Spain) from 1982 to 1998, based on a gender perspective analysis.

Subjects And Method: Data obtained from the surveys carried out by the Catalan Department of Health in 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998 were analysed. Variables included were those related to smoking status, number of daily cigarettes, age and sex of the interviewed, type of tobacco smoked, age at which the first experience with smoking took place and smoking duration.

East-west differences in reported preventive practices. A comparative study of six European areas of the WHO-CINDI programme.

Background: Differences have been reported in life expectancy and mortality between Eastern and Western European countries. Also, disparities have been found among different European countries or populations concerning the implementation of preventive practices by health professionals. This study analysed the patterns of reported preventive practices in three Eastern European areas and three Western ones.

Do health behaviour and psychosocial risk factors explain the European east-west gap in health status?

Background: Mortality rates are much more favourable in Western European countries than in those of Eastern Europe. Health behaviour and psychosocial factors have been suggested to be important contributors to East-West differences in mortality and health status.

Methods: To compare reported health status as well as health behaviours and psychosocial factors which may be related to unequal health status in different parts of Europe, standardised postal surveys of representative populations samples were conducted in six Eastern and Western European areas.

Pharmacoeconomic considerations in the management of hypertension.

Hypertension is highly prevalent in developed and developing countries (more than 30% of the adult population when a threshold value of 140/90 mm Hg is selected). It constitutes one of the major cardiovascular risk factors and accounts for more than 5% of total deaths worldwide. The economic impact of hypertension is enormous, representing $US23.

Determinants of left ventricular mass in untreated mildly hypertensive subjects: hospitalet study in mild hypertension.

The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to identify the determinants of left ventricular mass in untreated mildly hypertensive subjects at the Hypertension Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Red Cross Hospital, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. One hundred seventy-one untreated mildly hypertensive subjects, with a mean age of 41.1+/-11.

[Relationship in cardiovascular reactivity to mental stress and early involvement of target organs in non-treated mild arterial hypertension. Hospitalet Study].

Background: It has been previously reported that an exaggerated response of blood pressure to mental stress tasks is associated to an increased cardiovascular risk. The objective of this cross-sectional study, with sequential inclusion of subjects who met the inclusion criteria, was to asses the relationships between the response of blood pressure and heart rate to two different mental stress tasks and early target organ-damage, defined as abnormalities in the echocardiogram and/or an increase of urinary albumin excretion (UAE) or microalbuminuria, in untreated mild hypertensive subjects.

Subjects And Methods: Two hundred and eleven subjects aged 18 to 65 years (56% males) with mild hypertension (SBP between 140-180 mmHg and/or DBP between 90-105 mmHg) were included in Hospitalet Study.