This study confirmed the validity of the CIRS as an indicator of health status and demonstrated its ability to predict 18-month mortality and rehospitalization in hospitalized elderly patients. The availability of detailed guidelines for scoring the CIRS can improve its usefulness and facilitate more-widespread use for research and clinical aims.

BackgroundOverweight (Ow) and obesity (Ob) influence blood pressure (BP) and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). It is unclear whether the presence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) independently affects echocardiographic parameters in hypertension.Methods380 Ow/Ob essential hypertensive patients (age ≤65 years) presenting for referred BP control-related problems. MetS was defined according to NCEP III/ATP with AHA modifications and LVH as LVM/h2.7 ≥49.2 g/m2.7 in males and ≥46.7 g/m2.7 in females. Treatment intensity score (TIS) was used to control for BP treatment as previously reported.ResultsHypertensive patients with MetS had significantly higher BMI, systolic and mean BP, interventricular septum and relative wall thickness and lower ejection fraction than those without MetS. LVM/h2.7 was significantly higher in MetS patients (59.14±14.97 vs. 55.33±14.69 g/m2.7; p = 0.022). Hypertensive patients with MetS had a 2.3-fold higher risk to have LVH/h2.7 after adjustment for age, SBP and TIS (OR 2.34; 95%CI 1.40–3.92; p = 0.001), but MetS lost its independent relationship with LVH when BMI was included in the model.ConclusionsIn Ow/Ob hypertensive patients MetS maintains its role of risk factor for LVH independently of age, SBP, and TIS, resulting in a useful predictor of target organ damage in clinical practice. However, MetS loses its independent relationship when BMI is taken into account, suggesting that the effects on MetS on LV parameters are mainly driven by the degree of adiposity.

In treated essential hypertensive patients, a BMI ≥ 35 kg/m(2) is independently, albeit modestly, correlated with PAC. The correlation between BMI ≥ 35 kg/m(2) and PAC holds true even in ACEI/ARB-treated patients. Further study is required to determine whether the association of obesity with BP is mediated by PAC in hypertensive patients on stable therapy with ACEIs or ARBs.

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