A global approach to hypertension

Association between hypertension requiring medication and postoperative 30-day mortality in adult patients with tumor craniotomy: an analysis of data using propensity score matching

Background

Reliable quantification of the association between hypertension requiring medication and postoperative 30-day mortality in adult patients who undergo craniotomy for tumor resection is limited. We aimed to explore the associations between these factors.

Materials and methods

This work was a retrospective cohort study that used propensity score matching (PSM) among 18,642 participants from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database between 2012 and 2015. Hypertension requiring medication and postoperative 30-day mortality were the independent and dependent target variables, respectively. PSM was conducted via nonparsimonious multivariate logistic regression to balance the confounders. Robust estimation methods were used to investigate the association between hypertension requiring medication and postoperative 30-day mortality.

Results

A total of 18,642 participants (52.6% male and 47.4% female) met our inclusion criteria; 7,116 (38.17%) participants with hypertension required medication and had a 3.74% mortality rate versus an overall mortality rate of 2.46% in the adult cohort of patients who underwent craniotomy for tumor resection. In the PSM cohort, the risk of postoperative 30-day mortality significantly increased by 39.0% among patients with hypertension who required medication (OR = 1.390, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.071-1.804, p = 0.01324) after adjusting for the full covariates. Compared with participants without hypertension requiring medication, those with hypertension requiring medication had a 34.0% greater risk of postoperative 30-day mortality after adjusting for the propensity score (OR = 1.340, 95% CI: 1.040-1.727, p = 0.02366) and a 37.6% greater risk of postoperative 30-day mortality in the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTW) cohort (OR = 1.376, 95% CI: 1.202, 1.576, p < 0.00001).

Conclusion

Among U.S. adult patients undergoing craniotomy for tumor resection, hypertension requiring medication is a notable contributor to 30-day mortality after surgery, with odds ratios ranging from 1.34 to 1.39.

Dose-response effect of the lercanidipine/enalapril combination: a pooled analysis

OBJECTIVE

The dose-effect relationship of fixed-dose combinations of anti-hypertensive drugs has been only poorly explored. This pooled analysis investigates the dose-response relationship of fixed-dose lercanidipine + enalapril in patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This was an individual patient data analysis of four randomized studies (n = 2340).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary efficacy variable was the change from baseline in sitting diastolic blood pressure (SDBP). Secondary variables were change from baseline in sitting systolic BP (SSBP), proportion of responder patients, and safety.

RESULTS

All fixed-dose combinations were superior to placebo in the reduction of SDBP. The greatest effect was observed with the market-available combination lercanidipine 20 mg/enalapril 20 mg (-15.3 mmHg vs. baseline; p < 0.05). The reduction in SDBP associated with the other two marketed fixed combinations of lercanidipine/enalapril were -10.7 mmHg for the 10 mg/20 mg combination and -9.8 mmHg for the 10 mg/10 mg combination (p < .05 for both comparisons). Similar findings were reported for SSBP reduction: the greatest effect was observed with lercanidipine 20 mg/enalapril 20 mg (-19.2 mmHg). The reduction in SSBP was -12.5 mmHg for the 10 mg/20 mg combination and -11.1 mmHg for the 10 mg/10 mg combination (p < .05 for all comparisons). The highest responder rate was reported with lercanidipine 20 mg/enalapril 20 mg (75.0%); this figure was 56.1% with the 10 mg/20 mg and 53.0% with the 10/10 mg combination. No safety concerns were reported.

CONCLUSION

This pooled analysis of four randomized studies shows evidence of a dose-response effect in BP reduction with different fixed combinations of lercanidipine + enalapril. To our knowledge, this is the first analysis investigating the dose-response effect of a specific fixed-dose combination of anti-hypertensive agents. Further studies on this intriguing topic are however necessary.

Fixed-dose lercanidipine and enalapril in field practice: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

This meta-analysis evaluates the efficacy and safety of lercanidipine/enalapril fixed-dose combination in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension.

METHODS

Four observational studies on patients with sitting diastolic blood pressure (SDBP) between 95 and 109 mmHg, treated with lercanidipine/enalapril fixed-dose combination, were analyzed. The Random-Effect Model was used to limit heterogeneity across the studies. Weights were applied to determine the influence of each study on the combined results. The efficacy outcome measure was the reduction from baseline to endpoint in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP, respectively). The incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) was also investigated.

RESULTS

The total number of patients analyzed for efficacy and safety was 9565. No differences between study groups in demographics characteristics were observed. Mean blood pressure in the pooled population of the four studies was 162/94 mmHg at baseline. Overall, the lercanidipine/enalapril fixed-dose combination reduced SBP by 26 mmHg (95% CI, 23-29), and DBP by 13 mmHg (12-15), p < 0.05 for both. No safety concerns were reported.

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis supports the use of the lercanidipine/enalapril fixed-dose combination for the treatment of mild-to-moderate hypertension.

Vascular effects of the lercanidipine/enalapril combination: clinical relevance

Hypertension is associated with alterations in the vascular structure, which in turn enhance the risk of cardiovascular events. Notably, anti-hypertensive treatment may prevent or regress the changes of arterial wall structures. Lercanidipine is a third-generation CCB with peculiar pharmaceutical properties. Enalapril is an effective drug acting on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis. This commentary discusses the vascular effects of the lercanidipine/enalapril combination, and comments on their potential clinical relevance.

Longterm blood pressure variability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and its effect on cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in RA: a population-based comparative cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To examine longterm visit-to-visit blood pressure (BP) variability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) versus non-RA subjects and to assess its effect on cardiovascular (CV) events and mortality in RA.

METHODS

Clinic BP measures were collected in a population-based incident cohort of patients with RA (1987 American College of Rheumatology criteria met between January 1, 1995, and January 1, 2008) and non-RA subjects. BP variability was defined as within-subject SD in systolic and diastolic BP.

RESULTS

The study included 442 patients with RA (mean age 55.5 yrs, 70% females) and 424 non-RA subjects (mean age 55.7 yrs, 69% females). Patients with RA had higher visit-to-visit variability in systolic BP (13.8 ± 4.7 mm Hg) than did non-RA subjects (13.0 ± 5.2 mm Hg, p = 0.004). Systolic BP variability declined after the index date in RA (p < 0.001) but not in the non-RA cohort (p = 0.73), adjusting for age, sex, and calendar year of RA. During the mean followup of 7.1 years, 33 CV events and 57 deaths occurred in the RA cohort. Visit-to-visit systolic BP variability was associated with increased risk of CV events (HR per 1 mm Hg increase in BP variability 1.12, 95% CI 1.01-1.25). Diastolic BP variability was associated with all-cause mortality in RA (HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.03-1.27), adjusting for systolic and diastolic BP, body mass index, smoking, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and use of antihypertensives.

CONCLUSION

Patients with RA had higher visit-to-visit systolic BP variability than did non-RA subjects. There was a significant decline in systolic BP variability after RA incidence. Higher visit-to-visit BP variability was associated with adverse CV outcomes and all-cause mortality in RA.