The guidelines for the management of hypertension recommend the inclusion of diuretics, especially when three or more antihypertensive drugs are used. The present study investigated the current prescription status of antihypertensive drugs with a particular focus on the use of diuretics in a local district in Japan. Prescriptions, including antihypertensive drugs, were collected from a dispensing pharmacy of the Yahata Pharmacist Association, located in Kitakyushu City, in October 2014. Of the 10 585 prescriptions, calcium channel blockers (CCBs) were prescribed in 73.5%, followed by angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB, 62.7%), diuretics (16.5%) and β-blockers (13.6%). The average number of drugs used was 1.80. The rates of prescription of diuretics for patients with one, two, three and four drugs were 0.6%, 13.1%, 55.2% and 82.6%, respectively. Diuretics were more frequently prescribed in elderly patients, and the prescription rate of doctors in hospitals was significantly higher than that of general practitioners (19.1% vs. 15.7%, P<0.01). In addition, 40% of patients with thiazide diuretics were prescribed combination tablets of hydrochlorothiazide with ARB, whereas trichlormethiazide (34.9%) and indapamide (19.8%) were used in other patients. Based on these findings, the use of diuretics remains limited, even among patients taking multiple antihypertensive drugs.
Guidelines for the management of hypertension have recommended strict control of blood pressure to help prevent cardiovascular disease. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the current status of blood pressure control and trends over the past two decades. Four hundred patients treated for hypertension at Kyushu University Hospital were included in the present study. Blood pressure levels and prescribed antihypertensive drugs were examined in 2011. The average blood pressure was 129/74 mmHg, and the number of prescribed antihypertensive drugs was 2.2. Angiotensin II receptor antagonists, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, diuretics, alpha-blockers, and beta-blockers were prescribed in 66%, 5%, 78%, 21%, 12%, and 27% of the cases, respectively. Systolic blood pressure was significantly higher, and diastolic blood pressure was significantly lower in patients aged 80 years or older compared with the younger patients (<80 and ≥80 years, 128/75 mmHg and 133/68 mmHg, respectively). The number of prescribed antihypertensive drugs was similar between the two groups. Sixty-five patients were continuously treated for 20 years. The average blood pressure of these patients significantly decreased from 142/87 mmHg in 1991 to 128/71 mmHg in 2011, accompanied with an increase in the number of antihypertensive drugs from 1.6 in 1991 to 2.7 in 2011. These findings suggest that the revised guidelines for the management of hypertension may have contributed to increased awareness and better management of blood pressure levels.
Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of serum triglyceride levels on the risk of new-onset hypertension in Japanese. Methods: Five thousand nine hundred and thirty-three Japanese workers without hypertension at baseline, who participated in medical check-ups from 2006 to 2018, were followed retrospectively. The participants were divided into quartiles of casual serum triglyceride levels and were followed from the first to last visit of the study period. The outcome was development of hypertension. Risk estimates were computed using Cox's proportional hazards model. Results: During the follow-up period (average: 6.7 years), 946 individuals developed hypertension. The crude incidence rates of hypertension (per 1000 person-years) increased with rising serum triglyceride levels: 10.1 for quartile 1 (<0.76 mmol/l), 19.6 for quartile 2 (0.76–1.17 mmol/l), 26.0 for quartile 3 (1.18–1.84 mmol/l), and 36.5 for quartile 4 (>1.84 mmol/l) (P < 0.0001 for trend). These associations remained significant even after adjustment for other risk factors: the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio was 1.29 (1.01–1.66) for the second quartile, 1.27 (0.99–1.63) for the third quartile, and 1.39 (1.09–1.77) for the highest quartile compared with the lowest. There were comparable effects of serum triglyceride levels for incidence of hypertension between subgroups defined by sex, obesity, and diabetes (all P > 0.1 for interaction), whereas stronger associations were observed for participants under 40 years of age than for those aged 40 or above (P = 0.002 for interaction). Conclusion: Serum triglyceride levels were significantly associated with development of hypertension in a Japanese worksite population.
Underlying mechanisms of the elevated risks of hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Cushing's syndrome (CS) are unclear. We treated an adult woman with CS because of a cortisol-secreting adrenal tumor. After tumor resection, the 24-h blood pressure (BP) level improved from 156/91 to 131/84 mmHg; the morning BP surprisingly improved from 174/98 to 127/93 mmHg, although we reduced her antihypertensive medication. Her sleep quality (by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) improved from 7 to 2 points. Disturbed circadian BP rhythm is often observed in CS, but was reported only as altered nocturnal BP fall. This is the first report showing the disappearance of the morning BP surge evaluated by ambulatory BP monitoring with postsurgery sleep quality improvement. Poor-quality sleep, followed by exaggerated morning BP surge may thus be a cause of CS-related cardiovascular events. Sleep quality and BP circadian rhythm evaluations may clarify hypertension and high CVD risk in CS.
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