Clinical and Experimental Hypertension 

About: Clinical and Experimental Hypertension is an academic journal published by Informa. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Blood pressure & Essential hypertension. It has an ISSN identifier of 1064-1963. Over the lifetime, 4083 publications have been published receiving 58511 citations. The journal is also known as: CHE.

1999 World Health Organization-International Society of Hypertension Guidelines for the management of hypertension. Guidelines sub-committee of the World Health Organization.

Abstract: The present Guidelines were prepared by the Guidelines Sub-Committee of the World Health Organization-International Society of Hypertension (WHO-ISH) Mild Hypertension Liaison Committee, the members of which are listed at the end of the text. These guidelines represent the fourth revision of the WHO-ISH Guidelines and were finalised after presentation and discussion at the 7th WHO-ISH Meeting on Hypertension, Fukuoka, Japan, 29th Sept-1st Oct, 1998. Previous versions of the Guidelines were published in Bull WHO 1993, 71:503-517 and J Hypertens 1993, 11:905-918.

Evaluation of blood pressure measuring devices.

Abstract: Validation of blood pressure measuring devices is a relatively new field of research. There are two national protocols for validating blood pressure measuring devices: the protocol of the American Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) and the protocol of the British Hypertension Society (BHS), each of which has recently been revised. 19 blood pressure measuring devices have been validated according to one or both of these protocols. These protocols have been beneficial in drawing attention to the potential inaccuracy of blood pressure measuring systems, they permit comparison between devices and they have brought manufacturers of blood pressure measuring devices into closer contact with the profession. There are some inherent weaknesses in both protocols which include the fallibility of the 'gold standard', the lack of provision for validation in special circumstances and in special groups, such as the elderly and pregnant women, and failure to allow for deteriorating accuracy with higher pressure levels. The revised BHS protocol attempts to redress these deficiencies.

Converting Enzyme Inhibition Specifically Prevents the Development and Induces Regression of Cardiac Hypertrophy in Rats

Abstract: Antihypertensive agents have been shown to differ markedly in their effects on the development and regression of cardiac hypertrophy. In view of possible trophic properties of angiotensin II (ANG II), we compared the effects of equipotent antihypertensive doses of the converting enzyme (CE) inhibitor ramipril (1 mg/kg), the calcium antagonist nifedipine (30 mg/kg), and the arterial vasodilator dihydralazine (30 mg/kg) on cardiac mass in rats subjected to banding of the abdominal aorta. Treatment was started either immediately after banding (“prevention experiments”) or after hypertension and hypertrophy had already developed (“regression experiments”). Groups of untreated animals with aortic constriction and sham-operated animals served as controls.In the prevention experiments heart weight, myocardial protein content and ANG I1 plasma levels were significantly increased in untreated animals and in those receiving nifedipine and dihydralazine. In contrast, values obtained in animals treated with ramipril ...

Influence of Perivascular Adipose Tissue on Rat Aortic Smooth Muscle Responsiveness

Abstract: Virtually every blood vessel in the body is surrounded to some degree by adipose tissue. A potential role for perivascular adipose tissue as a neurohumoral regulator of vascular responsiveness was studied. Thoracic aortae obtained from male Sprague-Dawley rats were cut into rings for use in a standard in vitro smooth muscle bath set-up. The vessels were either cleaned of surrounding adipose tissue or left intact. Contractile responses to KCl and phenylephrine as well as relaxation responses to acetylcholine, isoproterenol and sodium nitroprusside were not different between cleaned and intact tissues. However, a significant decrease in the sensitivity to norepinephrine was observed in intact vessels. This altered response was corrected by prior treatment with desipramine plus deoxycorticosterone. Contractile responses of aortic ring preparations to tyramine and a potassium-free physiological solution were significantly greater in intact tissues. Electrical stimulation resulted in no response in cleaned tis...

Elevated heart rate: a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Abstract: Mounting evidence shows that elevated heart rate is associated with a greater risk of developing hypertension and atherosclerosis and that it is a potent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. These relationships have been shown not only in general populations but also among hypertensive individuals, with important implications for the treatment of hypertension. In spite of this evidence heart rate has been overlooked as a risk factor, but the fact that in most studies the risk related to fast heart rate remained highly significant after controlling for major risk factors for atherosclerosis suggests that it plays a direct role in the induction of the risk. The clustering of several risk factors for coronary artery disease in subjects with fast heart rate suggests that sympathetic overactivity accounts for the increased cardiovascular morbidity in subjects with tachycardia. In fact, experimental studies have shown that a heightened sympathetic tone can cause obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance which in the long run can promote the development of atherosclerosis. Moreover, experimental studies in the animal suggest that the heamodynamic disturbances related to high heart rate have a direct impact on the arterial wall promoting the development of atherosclerotic plaques. Preliminary results in the experimental animal and pooled data from intervention studies in patients with myocardial infarction or congestive heart failure suggest that drug-induced reduction of heart rate may be beneficial in several clinical conditions.