Dutch guideline for the management of hypertensive crisis -- 2010 revision.
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Hypertensive crises are divided into hypertensive urgencies and emergencies. Together they form a heterogeneous group of acute hypertensive disorders depending on the presence or type of target organs involved. Despite better treatment options for hypertension, hypertensive crisis and its associated complications remain relatively common. In the Netherlands the number of patients starting renal replacement therapy because of 'malignant hypertension' has increased in the past two decades. In 2003, the first Dutch guideline on hypertensive crisis was released to allow a standardised evidence-based approach for patients presenting with a hypertensive crisis. In this paper we give an overview of the current management of hypertensive crisis and discuss several important changes incorporated in the 2010 revision. These changes include a modification in terminology replacing 'malignant hypertension' with 'hypertensive crisis with retinopathy and reclassification of hypertensive crisis with retinopathy under hypertensive emergencies instead of urgencies. With regard to the treatment of hypertensive emergencies, nicardipine instead of nitroprusside or labetalol is favoured for the management of perioperative hypertension, whereas labetalol has become the drug of choice for the treatment of hypertension associated with pre-eclampsia. For the treatment of hypertensive urgencies, oral administration of nifedipine retard instead of captopril is recommended as first-line therapy. In addition, a section on the management of hypertensive emergencies according to the type of target organ involved has been added. Efforts to increase the awareness and treatment of hypertension in the population at large may lower the incidence of hypertensive crisis and its complications. (+info)
Hypertension-related eye abnormalities and the risk of stroke.
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Many studies have shown that hypertensive ocular funduscopic abnormalities are clearly related to stroke, even after controlling for blood pressure and other vascular risk factors. Retinal abnormalities indicative of a breakdown of the blood-retina barrier confer a greater increase in risk for stroke than sclerotic retinal changes. Similar retinal changes also have a positive relationship to stroke mortality. In addition, hypertensive ocular fundus abnormalities are reported to be associated with an increased risk for cognitive impairment, cerebral atrophy, progression of magnetic resonance imaging-defined white matter lesions, and subclinical infarction. Recent advances in fundus photography allow for improved accuracy and consistency in interpretation of funduscopic lesions, and improve the feasibility of screening for these abnormalities in at-risk patient populations. Evaluating the ocular fundus for signs of hypertensive retinopathy, in combination with an assessment of the presence or absence of other known vascular risk factors, may allow clinicians to further individualize a risk profile for stroke to each individual patient, thus permitting more accurate risk stratification and, potentially, guiding treatment strategies. (+info)
Mild retinopathy is a risk factor for cardiovascular mortality in Japanese with and without hypertension: the Ibaraki Prefectural Health Study.
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Association between retinopathy and cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease (from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort [CRIC] Study).
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Retinopathy and chronic kidney disease in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) study.
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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between retinopathy and chronic kidney disease. METHODS: In this observational, cross-sectional study, 2605 patients of the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) study, a multicenter study of chronic kidney disease, were offered participation. Nonmydriatic fundus photographs of the disc and macula in both eyes were obtained in 1936 of these subjects. The photographs were reviewed in a masked fashion at a central photograph reading center using standard protocols. Presence and severity of retinopathy (diabetic, hypertensive, or other) and vessel diameter caliber were assessed by trained graders and a retinal specialist using protocols developed for large epidemiologic studies. Kidney function measurements and information on traditional and nontraditional risk factors for decreased kidney function were obtained from the CRIC study. RESULTS: Greater severity of retinopathy was associated with lower estimated glomerular filtration rate after adjustment for traditional and nontraditional risk factors. The presence of vascular abnormalities usually associated with hypertension was also associated with lower estimated glomerular filtration rate. We found no strong direct relationship between estimated glomerular filtration rate and average arteriolar or venular calibers. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show a strong association between severity of retinopathy and its features and level of kidney function after adjustment for traditional and nontraditional risk factors for chronic kidney disease, suggesting that retinovascular pathology reflects renal disease. (+info)
MicroRNAs are involved in end-organ damage during hypertension.
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