Ama Pokuaa Fenny, Evans Otieku, Samuel Owusu Achiaw, Bernard Okoe Boye, Francis Asenso-Boadi, Vivian Addo-Cobbiah, Mariam Musah
{"title":"Impact of COVID-19 on the management of hypertension: a perspective on disease severity, service use patterns and expenditures from Ghana's health insurance claims data.","authors":"Ama Pokuaa Fenny, Evans Otieku, Samuel Owusu Achiaw, Bernard Okoe Boye, Francis Asenso-Boadi, Vivian Addo-Cobbiah, Mariam Musah","doi":"10.1038/s41371-024-00924-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41371-024-00924-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hypertension is a leading cause of morbidity in Ghana and other sub-Saharan African countries, but management has historically suffered from the fragility of health systems in these countries. This has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated measures. Our study examines and quantifies the effect of the pandemic on the management of hypertension in Ghana by determining changes in disease severity and presentation, as well as changes in health service use patterns and expenditures. We used cross-sectional data to perform an impact evaluation of COVID-19 on hypertension management before and during the pandemic. We employed statistical tests including t-tests, z-tests, and exact Poisson tests to estimate and compare hypertension episode intensity and related claim expenditures before and during the pandemic using medical claims data from Ghana's National Health Insurance Authority database. The study duration includes a 12-month reference/pre-pandemic period (March 2019-February 2020) relative to the target/pandemic period (March 2020-February 2021). We observed that although there was a 20% reduction in the number of hypertension claimants in the pandemic year, there was an increase in hypertension severity as measured by the number of hypertension episodes per claimant. There was also an 18.64% or $22.88 (95% CI: $21-$25, p = 0.01042) increase in the average cost per hypertension claimant in the pandemic year. The increase in episodes per claimant had the largest financial impact on the average cost per claimant. The findings from our studies are relevant for future policymaking and strategy implementation for hypertension control in Ghana.</p>","PeriodicalId":16070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Hypertension","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141432133","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gregory P. Veldhuizen, Rawan M. Alnazer, Abraham A. Kroon, Marc E. A. Spaanderman, Peter W. de Leeuw
{"title":"Variable effect of the post-partum menstrual cycle on aldosterone and renin in women with recent preeclampsia","authors":"Gregory P. Veldhuizen, Rawan M. Alnazer, Abraham A. Kroon, Marc E. A. Spaanderman, Peter W. de Leeuw","doi":"10.1038/s41371-024-00926-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41371-024-00926-1","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of the present study is to identify the impact of the postpartum menstrual cycle on aldosterone, renin, and their ratio of women with and without a preeclamptic pregnancy in the past. To this end, we analysed the data from 59 women with a history of preeclampsia and 39 healthy parous controls. Five to seven months post-partum, we measured aldosterone, renin, and the aldosterone-to-renin ratio during both the follicular and the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. All measurements were taken in the supine position in the morning. Patients had maintained a standardized sodium diet in the week prior to the measurements. Our results show that in both post-partum women with recent preeclampsia and controls, average levels of renin and aldosterone are significantly elevated in the luteal phase as compared to the follicular phase. The aldosterone-to-renin ratio does not differ between the two phases in either group. Compared to controls, women with recent preeclampsia have significantly lower levels of renin, aldosterone, and aldosterone-to-renin ratio in the follicular phase. This remained consistent in the luteal phase, except for renin. A close correlation existed between the luteal and follicular aldosterone-to-renin ratio in the control group but not in the preeclampsia group. We conclude that both renin and aldosterone are significantly affected by the menstrual cycle whereas the resulting aldosterone-to-renin ratio is not. Post-partum women with recent preeclampsia tend to have lower values for aldosterone and the aldosterone-to-renin ratio than controls.","PeriodicalId":16070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Hypertension","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41371-024-00926-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141427033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Antonio H. Germano-Soares, Breno Q. Farah, José F. Da Silva, Mauro V. G. Barros, Rafael M. Tassitano
{"title":"Clustering of 24H movement behaviors associated with clinic blood pressure in older adults: a cross-sectional study","authors":"Antonio H. Germano-Soares, Breno Q. Farah, José F. Da Silva, Mauro V. G. Barros, Rafael M. Tassitano","doi":"10.1038/s41371-024-00925-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41371-024-00925-2","url":null,"abstract":"Physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), and sleep duration are known to have an individual effect on clinic blood pressure (BP) of older adults. However, whether different patterns of these so-called movement behaviors over the 24h-cycle on BP remains poorly investigated. The study aimed to identify movement behavior patterns associated with clinic BP among older adults with chronic diseases. Cross-sectional study with 238 older adults (80.3% female; mean age 68.8 ± 6.6) with at least one chronic disease. PA, SB, and sleep duration were measured by a triaxial accelerometer. Clinic systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were obtained through an automated method following standard procedures. Non-hierarchical K-means cluster and linear regression modeling were employed to identify the clusters of movement behaviors and to examine the associations. Two clusters were identified [active and non-sedentary, n = 103 (i.e., sufficient sleep duration, higher LPA and MVPA, and lower SB) and sedentary and inactive, n = 135 (i.e., sufficient sleep duration, lower LPA and MVPA, and higher SB). Active and non-sedentary older adults presented lower systolic BP compared to sedentary and inactive ones, even after adjustments for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics (β = 6.356; CI 95% from 0.932 to 11.779; P = 0.022). No associations were found for diastolic BP. In conclusion, higher PA and lower SB were associated with lower systolic BP in older adults with chronic diseases. However, sleep duration did not modify this association. Therefore, interventions focusing on concomitantly increasing PA levels and reducing SB should be the priority for controlling blood pressure.","PeriodicalId":16070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Hypertension","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141419491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mohammad R. Baneshi, Annette Dobson, Gita D. Mishra
{"title":"Transition between cardiometabolic conditions and body weight among women: which paths increase the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases?","authors":"Mohammad R. Baneshi, Annette Dobson, Gita D. Mishra","doi":"10.1038/s41371-024-00923-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41371-024-00923-4","url":null,"abstract":"Previous studies investigated the association of body weight and hypertension with risk of incident cardiometabolic multimorbidity. Our aim was to estimate the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life for subjects with different progression patterns of overweight, obesity, and hypertension in mid-life. This was a prospective cohort study in which data from 12,784 participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health were used. Multistate model was used to study the progression pattern of overweight, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease over the life course. The cumulative incidence of diabetes and cardiovascular disease up to the age of 73 was estimated for women with different patterns of other conditions. The six most common paths and corresponding cumulative incidences for diabetes were overweight 5.1%, obesity 11.5%, hypertension 6.9%, progression from overweight to obesity 8.2%, overweight and hypertension 12.1%, and obesity and hypertension 36.8%. For women with diabetes and other conditions, the cumulative incidence of cardiovascular disease (heart disease or stroke) as the next immediate condition was 22.4%. The corresponding figure for women who only had a report of diabetes but did not have high body weight or hypertension was 8.3%. The higher risk of transition from healthy state to a cardiometabolic condition was associated with low education, income stress, smoking, not drinking alcohol (compared to low drinkers), physical inactivity, and high perceived stress. Women with obesity and hypertension in middle-age had a substantially higher risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease than women without these potentially preventable conditions.","PeriodicalId":16070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Hypertension","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41371-024-00923-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141310865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"JHH Young Investigator Award 2022: interview with the winner Matthew K. Armstrong","authors":"Matthew K. Armstrong","doi":"10.1038/s41371-024-00918-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41371-024-00918-1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Hypertension","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41371-024-00918-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141306135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amy E. Boettcher, Hannah E. Penfold, Katharine D. Currie
{"title":"Exercise systolic blood pressures are unaffected by time of day in healthy young adults","authors":"Amy E. Boettcher, Hannah E. Penfold, Katharine D. Currie","doi":"10.1038/s41371-024-00921-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41371-024-00921-6","url":null,"abstract":"Blood pressure (BP) assessment during exercise testing has the capacity to identify exaggerated exercise BP (EEBP). BP has a circadian rhythm; therefore, exercise BPs may change throughout the day complicating EEBP identification. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of time of day on exercise BP in healthy young adults. Thirty-one participants [48% female; 23(4) years] completed a modified Bruce treadmill protocol in the morning (M), afternoon (A), and evening (E). Submaximal (stage 4) and peak (highest value) systolic BP (SBP) were determined and ΔSBP was calculated (peak SBP-pre-exercise SBP). Repeated-measures tests were used to compare SBP data. EEBP was defined as a submaximal SBP ≥ 170 mmHg. Chronotype was assessed using the Morning-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and Pearson correlations were used to determine the relationship between MEQ score and ΔSBP during all tests. Significance was set at P < 0.05. Submaximal SBP (M:159(25); A:156(16); E:162(24) mmHg; P = 0.295), peak SBP (M:177(32); A:184(25); E:185(26) mmHg; P = 0.087) and ΔSBP (M:62(29); A:67(23); 65(20) mmHg; P = 0.546) were similar across time points. Eight participants had an EEBP on at least two tests. MEQ scores were correlated with ΔSBP during the A test (r = 0.357, P = 0.049) and E test (r = 0.363, P = 0.045). In conclusion, time of day had no effect on SBP responses to exercise, but our correlational analysis suggests changes in SBP may differ between chronotypes depending on the time of day of exercise. Given the clinical value of EEBP, it is notable that 26% of our healthy young sample had EEBP.","PeriodicalId":16070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Hypertension","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141300826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yeliz Guler, Omer Genc, Abdullah Yildirim, Aslan Erdogan, Huseyin Akgun, Gamze Acar, Ahmet Guler, Cevat Kirma
{"title":"Templer’s death anxiety scale on the relationship between white coat hypertension and anxiety: A cross-sectional study","authors":"Yeliz Guler, Omer Genc, Abdullah Yildirim, Aslan Erdogan, Huseyin Akgun, Gamze Acar, Ahmet Guler, Cevat Kirma","doi":"10.1038/s41371-024-00920-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41371-024-00920-7","url":null,"abstract":"The relationship between white coat hypertension (WCH) and anxiety remains not fully elucidated. This study aims to investigate the correlation between WCH and Templer’s Death Anxiety Scale (T-DAS) questionnaire. Asymptomatic individuals with a familial history of sudden cardiac death or acute myocardial infarction within the last year, who presented at our cardiology outpatient clinic, were enrolled in this prospective, single-center, cross-sectional study. Among those with elevated blood pressure in the outpatient clinic setting, participants were categorized into normotensive and WCH groups through 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Demographic features, laboratory parameters, and T-DAS scores were documented. Logistic regression and sensitivity analyses were conducted to ascertain WCH occurrence. Among 324 consecutive participants, 90 were diagnosed with WCH. T-DAS scores were significantly elevated in the WCH subgroup, particularly among those seeking early medical attention following bereavement. Multivariable logistic regression highlighted gender, BMI, heart rate, T-DAS, and admission time as independent correlates of WCH. Significantly, T-DAS exhibited the third most substantial contribution to the regression analysis, following admission time and heart rate. The multivariable logistic regression analysis incorporating T-DAS exhibited high robustness, discrimination, fit, and calibration, with a Brier score of 0.106, adjusted R2 of 0.576, and C-statistic of 0.905 (95% CI: 0.871–0.940, p < 0.001). T-DAS, with a threshold of >8, demonstrated 48% sensitivity and 90% specificity in detecting WCH. Additionally, decision curve analysis verified that the model including T-DAS offers a net benefit in detecting WCH. This study unveils a potential association between WCH and death anxiety.","PeriodicalId":16070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Hypertension","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41371-024-00920-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141283921","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rong Yin, Yunhong Wu, Man Li, Chunrong Liu, Xue Pu, Wen Yi
{"title":"Association between high-altitude polycythemia and hypertension: a cross-sectional study in adults at Tibetan ultrahigh altitudes","authors":"Rong Yin, Yunhong Wu, Man Li, Chunrong Liu, Xue Pu, Wen Yi","doi":"10.1038/s41371-024-00916-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41371-024-00916-3","url":null,"abstract":"The study aimed to evaluate the association between high-altitude polycythemia and hypertension in adults residing on Anduo County’s plateau, which is located 4700 meters above sea level. A total of 387 individuals participated in the cross-sectional survey conducted between April and May of 2021. Interviews, physical inspections, and laboratory tests were employed to gather information about all of the subjects. The association between high-altitude polycythemia and hypertension was assessed using multivariable logistic regression models. The average age of the 387 participants was 32.6 ± 6.3 years. Of these participants, 260 (67%) were male. The overall prevalence of hypertension was 27.1% (57/380). When stratified by gender, the prevalence was 12.6% (16/127) in females and 34.2% (89/260) in males. The overall prevalence of high-altitude polycythemia was 19.6% (76/387). When stratified by gender, the prevalence was 26.2% (68/260) in males and 6.3% (8/127) in females. During logistic regression analysis, we found that participants with elevated hemoglobin per 10 g/L had a 26% greater risk of hypertension (adjusting for odds ratio [OR], 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11–1.44). Additionally, high-altitude polycythemia greatly increased the risk of hypertension in comparison to non-high-altitude polycythemia (OR, 3.01; 95% CI, 1.66–5.44, P < 0.001). The consistency of the results was further demonstrated by stratified and interaction analyses, showing that Hans individuals had a higher risk of hypertension. High-altitude polycythemia is positively associated with hypertension in adults residing at Tibetan ultrahigh altitudes. The results of the investigation may aid in the planning of future research and guide the development of targeted healthcare practices for high-altitude populations, particularly among Han Chinese residents of the Tibetan Plateau.","PeriodicalId":16070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Hypertension","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11239486/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141158005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Environmental stress and hypertension: the disregarded role of HSP70","authors":"Bernardo Rodriguez-Iturbe","doi":"10.1038/s41371-024-00917-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41371-024-00917-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Hypertension","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141075973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Joshua G. Kovoor, Clara K. Chow, Abdul Salam, Ruth Webster, Louise Shiel, Mark R. Nelson, Jacquita S. Affandi, Peter Hay, Michael Burke, Gemma A. Figtree, Tim Usherwood, Christopher M. Reid, Markus P. Schlaich, Anthony Rodgers, Emily R. Atkins
{"title":"Participants’ views of ultra-low dose combination therapy for high blood pressure: a mixed-methods study from the QUARTET trial","authors":"Joshua G. Kovoor, Clara K. Chow, Abdul Salam, Ruth Webster, Louise Shiel, Mark R. Nelson, Jacquita S. Affandi, Peter Hay, Michael Burke, Gemma A. Figtree, Tim Usherwood, Christopher M. Reid, Markus P. Schlaich, Anthony Rodgers, Emily R. Atkins","doi":"10.1038/s41371-024-00915-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41371-024-00915-4","url":null,"abstract":"Single-pill combination therapy containing four quarter-dose medications for high blood pressure improves BP control compared to monotherapy, however patient-reported acceptance of the quadpill as a treatment strategy remains undescribed. We collected within-trial feedback and interviewed participants from the quadruple ultra-low-dose treatment for hypertension (QUARTET) trial to characterise patient attitudes to this intervention. All trial participants were asked about ease and preference for the quadpill and provided an opportunity to give further comments on the trial at 12 weeks (trial primary endpoint) and 52 weeks extended follow-up. Separately, we used purposive and quota sampling for the semi-structured telephone interviews, with the resultant verbatim transcripts analysed using an inductive thematic analysis approach. Themes were re-evaluated after each successive interview, and at suspected data saturation, an additional interview conducted for confirmation. At 12 weeks follow-up, 502 of 591 (85%) participants responded to acceptability questions, and 359 of 417 (86%) responded at week 52. Most reported the trial capsule easy or very easy to take. From eight sites, 16 participants were interviewed between 5 August 2020 and 19 November 2020. All described a positive experience, preferred once-daily morning dosing and found routine facilitated adherence. Participants valued individual responsibility for adherence, and involvement of the general practitioner in blood-pressure management. Most reported capsule size did not deter adherence but desired a smaller capsule. Participants described a preference for minimising number and dosage of medications, reduced capsule size, and once-daily morning dosing. These findings suggest a preference for single-pill combination therapy for blood pressure lowering.","PeriodicalId":16070,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Hypertension","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2024-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41371-024-00915-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140922423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}