[New approaches to risk and the use of electronic tools in primary care medicine in 2021].

Our selection of articles published in 2021 sheds light on topics related to risk, and to the use of electronic tools in primary care medicine. They cover blood pressure targets, telemonitoring, and the omega-3 fatty acid diet in the elderly and/or in patients with high cardiovascular risk. They present the role of primary care physicians in the management of patients with NAFLD, and in screening for domestic violence in all couples.

[Hyponatremia and thiazides].

Thiazide diuretics (hydrochlorothiazide) and « thiazide-like » (chlorthalidone, indapamide) are widely prescribed due to their effectiveness in the treatment of arterial hypertension. The use of thiazides may be complicated by hyponatremia that is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The pathophysiology of thiazide-induced hyponatremia is not yet clear.

[Therapeutic adherence in the treatment of hypertension in primary healthcare].

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, leading to a high and increasing rate of morbidity and mortality with our current lifestyle. This is therefore a real public health problem. About 20 % of refractory hypertension is caused by a poor drug intake.

[Benefits of meditation on the hypertensive adult].

The prevalence of high blood pressure is increasing and expanding preventive and treatment measures may be useful. Some data in the literature suggest that meditation can play a role not only in stress management but also in blood pressure control and cardiovascular disease prevention. Mechanisms involved may be based on the regulation of emotional and biological responses to stress, by regulation of the autonomous nervous system.

[Hypertension in people of African descent].

Hypertension in people of African descent presents an increased prevalence, an earlier and more severe target organ damage and is harder to control compared to other ethnicities. Preeclampsia and gestational hypertension are more frequent in black women. The physiological phenomenon of night time blood pressure dipping is often blunted.