The British Guidelines -- Plus Race, Alcohol, Exercise and More
The British Guidelines -- Plus Race, Alcohol, Exercise and More
Ever since the results of the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT), the largest hypertension trial ever conducted, were announced at the end of 2002, there has been a deluge of revised national guidelines, as reported in previous issues of this newsletter. This month, it's England's turn. The guidelines established by the British Hypertension Society (BHS), in concordance with most other revised national and international guidelines, stress that it is necessary to treat the patient, not the blood pressure numbers. However, in contradistinction to some of the other publications, the British guidelines also provide specific recommendations about which drugs should be used in which patients; these are presented as an easy and useful AB/CD algorithm.
Also this month, in partnership with industry, a National Hispanic Medical Association study has found that awareness and treatment of hypertension are significantly lower among Mexican Americans than among non-Hispanic whites in North America; Mexican Americans are the largest subgroup of the Hispanic population, which is the fastest-growing minority in the United States. On the other hand, a meta-analysis of more than 12,000 patients enrolled in published trials (approximately 75% white and 25% black) has found that race is a less significant factor in response to specific drug classes than within-race variations. In another study, investigators report that hypertension in women is predictive of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in women.
Yet another study has found that the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption extend even to hypertensive individuals; whereas contradicting an earlier study, the results of a new study suggest that home blood pressure monitoring is useful. Lastly, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has updated its aerobic exercise recommendations.
Ever since the results of the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT), the largest hypertension trial ever conducted, were announced at the end of 2002, there has been a deluge of revised national guidelines, as reported in previous issues of this newsletter. This month, it's England's turn. The guidelines established by the British Hypertension Society (BHS), in concordance with most other revised national and international guidelines, stress that it is necessary to treat the patient, not the blood pressure numbers. However, in contradistinction to some of the other publications, the British guidelines also provide specific recommendations about which drugs should be used in which patients; these are presented as an easy and useful AB/CD algorithm.
Also this month, in partnership with industry, a National Hispanic Medical Association study has found that awareness and treatment of hypertension are significantly lower among Mexican Americans than among non-Hispanic whites in North America; Mexican Americans are the largest subgroup of the Hispanic population, which is the fastest-growing minority in the United States. On the other hand, a meta-analysis of more than 12,000 patients enrolled in published trials (approximately 75% white and 25% black) has found that race is a less significant factor in response to specific drug classes than within-race variations. In another study, investigators report that hypertension in women is predictive of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in women.
Yet another study has found that the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption extend even to hypertensive individuals; whereas contradicting an earlier study, the results of a new study suggest that home blood pressure monitoring is useful. Lastly, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has updated its aerobic exercise recommendations.
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