Renal denervation in the antihypertensive arsenal - knowns and known unknowns

Depression and anxiety symptoms are underestimated risk factors for postoperative prognosis in patients with Type 2 diabetes and peripheral artery disease undergoing partial foot amputation: Results from a prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and impact of depression and anxiety symptoms on post-operative prognosis and 1-year all-cause mortality in a large unique cohort of patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and peripheral artery disease (PAD) after partial foot amputation (PFA).

METHODS

Prospective cohort study with 1-year follow-up of 785 consecutive patients (mean age 60.9 ± 9.1 years; 64.1% males) with T2D and PAD after PFA. Depressive symptoms were assessed by Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and anxiety symptoms by Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS). We used multivariable Cox proportional hazard models to examine the association of depression and anxiety with all-cause mortality.

RESULTS

One-year all-cause mortality was 16.9% (n = 133). 331 (42.1%) patients had PHQ-9 score ≥ 10 indicating major depressive disorder. After adjusting for confounders, PHQ-9 score ≥ 10 was associated with an increased risk of 1-year all-cause mortality (HR = 1.68 (95%CI[1.16-2.44], p = 0.006). Depression dimensions of negative self-feeling and suicidal ideations were independently associated with 1-year mortality (HR = 1.26 (95%CI[1.24-1.55], p = 0.029 and HR = 2.37 (95%CI[1.89-2.96], p < 0.001, respectively). Compared to no depression, severe depressive symptoms (cut-off≥20) were associated with increased all-cause mortality (HR = 3.9 (95%CI [1.48-10.29], p = 0.006). Compared to no anxiety, severe anxiety symptoms (cut-off>30) were associated with increased 1-year mortality (HR = 2.25(95%CI [1.26-4.05], p = 0.006).

CONCLUSION

Depressive symptoms and severe anxiety have shown independently increased risk of 1-year all-cause mortality in patients with T2D and PAD requiring PFA. Our results indicate that screening for anxiety and depression should be considered under these circumstances to identify patients at increased risk to allow appropriate intervention.

Medical Measures in Hypertensives Considered Resistant

BACKGROUND

Patients with resistant hypertension are the group of hypertensive patients with the highest cardiovascular risk.

METHODS

All rules and guidelines for treatment of hypertension should be followed strictly to obtain blood pressure (BP) control in resistant hypertension. The mainstay of treatment of hypertension, also for resistant hypertension, is pharmacological treatment, which should be tailored to each patient's specific phenotype. Therefore, it is pivotal to assess nonadherence to pharmacological treatment as this remains the most challenging problem to investigate and manage in the setting of resistant hypertension.

RESULTS

Once adherence has been confirmed, patients must be thoroughly worked-up for secondary causes of hypertension. Until such possible specific causes have been clarified, the diagnosis is apparent treatment-resistant hypertension (TRH). Surprisingly few patients remain with true TRH when the various secondary causes and adherence problems have been detected and resolved. Refractory hypertension is a term used to characterize the treatment resistance in hypertensive patients using ≥5 antihypertensive drugs. All pressor mechanisms may then need blockage before their BPs are reasonably controlled.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with resistant hypertension need careful and sustained follow-up and review of their medications and dosages at each term since medication adherence is a very dynamic process.

Opportunities and Limitations of Renal Denervation: Where Do We Stand?

Hypertension is a primary contributor to cardiovascular disease, and the leading risk factor for loss of quality adjusted life years. Up to 50% of the cases of hypertension in the United States remain uncontrolled. Additionally, 8%-18% of the hypertensive population have resistant hypertension; uncontrolled pressure despite 3 different antihypertensive agents. Recently, catheter-based percutaneous renal denervation emerged as a method for ablating renal sympathetic nerves for difficult-to-control hypertension. Initial randomized (non-sham) trials and registry analyses showed impressive benefit, but the first sham-controlled randomized controlled trial using monopolar radiofrequency ablation showed limited benefit. With refinement of techniques to include multipolar radiofrequency, ultrasound denervation, and direct ethanol injection, randomized controlled trials demonstrated significant blood pressure improvement, leading to US Food and Drug Administration approval of radiofrequency- and ultrasound-based denervation technologies. In this review article, we summarize the major randomized sham-controlled trials and societal guidelines regarding the efficacy and safety of renal artery denervation for the treatment of uncontrolled hypertension.

What is resistant arterial hypertension?

PURPOSE

The current review is to describe the definition and prevalence of resistant arterial hypertension (RAH), the difference between refractory hypertension, patient characteristics and major risk factors for RAH, how RAH is diagnosed, prognosis and outcomes for patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

According to the WHO, approximately 1.28 billion adults aged 30-79 worldwide have arterial hypertension, and over 80% of them do not have blood pressure (BP) under control. RAH is defined as above-goal elevated BP despite the concurrent use of 3 or more classes of antihypertensive drugs, commonly including a long-acting calcium channel blocker, an inhibitor of the renin-angiotensin system (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker), and a thiazide diuretic administered at maximum or maximally tolerated doses and at appropriate dosing frequency. RAH occurs in nearly 1 of 6 hypertensive patients. It often remains unrecognised mainly because patients are not prescribed ≥3 drugs at maximal doses despite uncontrolled BP.

CONCLUSION

RAH distinctly increases the risk of developing coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke and chronic kidney disease and confers higher rates of major adverse cardiovascular events as well as increased all-cause mortality. Timely diagnosis and treatment of RAH may mitigate the associated risks and improve short and long-term prognosis.

Late outcomes of renal denervation are more favourable than early ones: facts or fancies?

Following second-generation randomized trials, there is evidence that renal denervation (RDN) decreases blood pressure (BP), although to a lesser extent than suggested in the initial controlled and observational studies. The recent publication of the 36-month follow-up of the Symplicity HTN-3 trial has raised expectations, suggesting increasing, late benefits of the procedure, despite initially negative results. These findings come after those obtained at 36 months in the sham-controlled trial SPYRAL HTN-ON MED and in the Global Symplicity Registry. However, they are susceptible to biases inherent in observational studies (after unblinding for sham-control) and non-random, substantial attrition of treatment groups at 36 months, and used interpolation of missing BPs. More importantly, in SPYRAL HTN-ON MED and Symplicity HTN-3, long-term BP changes in patients from the initial RDN group were compared with those in a heterogeneous control group, including both control patients who did not benefit from RDN and patients who eventually crossed over to RDN. In crossover patients, the last BP before RDN was imputed to subsequent follow-up. In Symplicity HTN-3, this particular approach led to the claim of increasing long-term benefits of RDN. However, comparison of BP changes in patients from the RDN group and control patients who did not undergo RDN, without imputation of BPs from crossover patients, does not support this view. The good news is that despite the suggestion of sympathetic nerve regrowth after RDN in some animal models, there is no strong signal in favour of a decreasing effect of RDN over time, up to 24 or even 36 months. Still, current data do not support a long-term increase in the effect of RDN and the durability of RDN-related BP reduction remains to be formally demonstrated.

Impact of Persistent Medication Adherence and Compliance with Lifestyle Recommendations on Major Cardiovascular Events and One-Year Mortality in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Advanced Stages of Atherosclerosis: Results From a Prospective Cohort Study

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of single and combined effects of persistent medication adherence and compliance with lifestyle recommendations on the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and one-year all-cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and peripheral artery disease (PAD) after partial foot amputation (PFA), representing a unique cohort of patients with advanced stages of atherosclerosis.

Methods

This is a prospective cohort study of 785 consecutive patients (mean age 60.9 ± 9.1 years; 64.1% males). Medication adherence was evaluated by using the proportion of days covered (PDC) measure calculation and was defined as a PDC ≥80%. It derived as an average of PDCs of the following four classes of drugs: a) antidiabetics (oral hypoglycemic medications and/or insulin); b) ACEI or ARBs; c) Statins; d) antiplatelet drugs. Lifestyle compliance was defined as a PDC ≥80% comprising of PDCs of a) physical activity of ≥30 minutes per day; b) healthy nutrition and weight management; c) non-smoking. Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for confounders were used.

Results

Total all-cause mortality was 16.9% (n = 133) at one-year follow-up. After adjusting for confounders, compared to adherent/compliant patients (n = 432), non-adherent and/or non-compliant patients had an increased risk of one-year mortality: HR = 8.67 (95% CI [5.29, 14.86] in non-adherent/non-compliant patients (n = 184), p < 0.001; HR = 3.81 (95% CI [2.03, 7.12], p < 0.001) in adherent/non-compliant patients (n = 101) and HR = 3.14 (95% CI [1.52, 6.45] p = 0.002) in non-adherent/compliant patients (n = 184). The incidence of MACE followed similar pattern (HR = 9.66 (95% CI [6.55, 14.25] for non-adherence/non-compliance; HR = 3.48 (95% CI [2.09, 5.77] and HR = 3.35 (95% CI [1.89, 5.91], p < 0.001 for single adherence or compliance.

Conclusions

Medication adherence and compliance to lifestyle recommendations have shown to be equally effective to reduce the incidence of MACE and one-year mortality in patients with diabetes and PAD after PFA representing a population with highly advanced stages of atherosclerotic disease. Our findings underline the necessity to give lifestyle intervention programs a high priority and that costs for secondary prevention medications should be covered for patients under these circumstances.

Lay Summary

This study analyzed the single and combined effects of medication adherence and compliance with lifestyle recommendations on cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes and advances stages of atherosclerosis over a period of one year.Evaluation of medication adherence included antidiabetics, statins, dual antiplatelets and ACEI/ARBs, whereas lifestyle recommendations included healthy nutrition, physical activity and smoking cessation.Persistent medication adherence and lifestyle changes have shown to be equally effective to reduce the incidence of MACE and one-year mortality in patients representing a population with highly advanced stages of atherosclerotic disease, and positive effects added up to a double effect if patients were persistently adherent and compliant with both interventions.

Renal sympathetic activity: A key modulator of pressure natriuresis in hypertension

Hypertension is a complex disorder ensuing necessarily from alterations in the pressure-natriuresis relationship, the main determinant of long-term control of blood pressure. This mechanism sets natriuresis to the level of blood pressure, so that increasing pressure translates into higher osmotically driven diuresis to reduce volemia and control blood pressure. External factors affecting the renal handling of sodium regulate the pressure-natriuresis relationship so that more or less natriuresis is attained for each level of blood pressure. Hypertension can thus only develop following primary alterations in the pressure to natriuresis balance, or by abnormal activity of the regulation network. On the other hand, increased sympathetic tone is a very frequent finding in most forms of hypertension, long regarded as a key element in the pathophysiological scenario. In this article, we critically analyze the interplay of the renal component of the sympathetic nervous system and the pressure-natriuresis mechanism in the development of hypertension. A special focus is placed on discussing recent findings supporting a role of baroreceptors as a component, along with the afference of reno-renal reflex, of the input to the nucleus tractus solitarius, the central structure governing the long-term regulation of renal sympathetic efferent tone.