Hypertension is a well-known modifiable risk factor of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events. 1 International practice guidelines and recommendations were recently published to encourage both physicians and patients to be aware of uncontrolled hypertension and achieve 24-hour blood pressure (BP) control. 2,3 However, despite the availability of antihypertensive medications, only a small improvement in the hypertension control rate has been reported in the Thai population. 4 Patients with uncontrolled hypertension can develop hypertensive crises, 5 which can be classified under (a) Hypertensive emergency or (b) Hypertensive urgency. Patients in the former group must exhibit signs and symptoms of target organ damage in either the cardiovascular system, cerebrovascular system, and/or renal system. 2,6,7 Hypertensive emergencies are a challenge in clinical practice because of vital organ involvement which can lead to unfavorable outcomes if left untreated. 7 However, with rapid detection and timely treatment, the mortality rate of hypertensive emergencies remains low (in-hospital mortality, 2.5%). 6-8 The prevalence of hypertensive emergencies has varied according to the population studied. It has been reported that around 1%-3% of hypertensive patients experience hypertensive emergencies. 9 However, there is insufficient information about the clinical presentation, treatment, and outcomes of hypertensive emergency patients, especially in the Southeast Asian region on account of the previously small study samples. 6,10-12 We

Background: In 2003, the JNC 7 reported obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as a cause of secondary hypertension. The prevalence of OSA in hypertension ranges from 30-80%. There are limited data on the prevalence and risk factors of OSA in hypertensive patients. This study thus aimed to evaluate prevalence and clinical predictors of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in these patients.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study and conducted at the hypertension clinic at Khon Kaen University’s Srinagarind Hospital, Thailand. We enrolled patients with hypertension treated at the clinic. OSA was defined as apnea-hypopnea index of 5 events/hour or over according to cardiopulmonary monitoring. Patients whose hypertension was due to any other causes were excluded. The prevalence of OSA was calculated and risk factors for OSA were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression.Results: There were 726 hypertensive patients treated at the clinic. Of those, 253 (34.8%) were randomly studied and categorized as either non-OSA (147 patients, 58.1%) or OSA (106 patients, 41.9%). There were four independent factors associated with OSA-induced hypertension: age, sex, history of snoring, and history of headache. Headache had an adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 3.564 (95% confidence interval of 1.510, 8.411).Conclusion: Age, male sex, history of snoring, and headache were independent predictors of hypertension caused by OSA.

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Background Hypertensive crisis is an urgent/emergency condition. Although obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in resistant hypertension has been thoroughly examined, information regarding the risk factors and prevalence of hypertensive crisis in co-existing OSA and hypertension is limited. This study thus aimed to determine prevalence of and risk factors for hypertensive crisis in patients with hypertension caused by OSA. Methods The inclusion criteria were age of 18 years or over and diagnosis of co-existing OSA and hypertension. Those patients with other causes of secondary hypertension were excluded. Patients were categorized by occurrence of hypertensive crisis. Factors associated with hypertensive crisis were calculated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results There were 121 patients met the study criteria. Of those, 19 patients (15.70%) had history of hypertensive crisis. Those patients in hypertensive crisis group had significant higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure at regular follow-ups than those without hypertensive crisis patients (177 vs. 141 mmHg and 108 vs. 85 mmHg; p value < 0.001 for both factors). After adjusted for age, sex, and Mallampati classification, only systolic blood pressure was independently associated with hypertensive crisis with adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) of 1.046 (1.012, 1.080). Conclusions The prevalence of hypertensive crisis in co-existing OSA and hypertension was 15.70% and high systolic blood pressure or uncontrolled blood pressure associated with hypertensive crisis in patients with OSA-associated hypertension.

Otosyphilis is one contributing cause of hearing loss in adult patients. There are limited studies on the treatment regimens of otosyphilis. Penicillin G sodium (PGS) plus additional medications, such as benzathine penicillin and probenecid, is an effective regimen. This study investigated the efficacy of PGS alone for the treatment of otosyphilis. We conducted a retrospective study and included all consecutive patients diagnosed with otosyphilis who received only PGS treatment. The study period was from 2009 to 2013. The PGS treatment regimen was PGS 4 mu intravenously every four hours (24 mu/day) for 14 days. Clinical and audiogram outcomes were evaluated one year after treatment. There were 34 otosyphilis patients that were treated with PGS. After one year of treatment, 18 patients (52.9%) had a clinical improvement and 11 patients (32.4%) had an audiogram improvement. In conclusion, PGS at 24 mu/day for two weeks provided an audiogram improvement one year after treatment in one-third of the patients.

Acute severe headache is the main presentation of eosinophilic meningitis (EOM) caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis . Oral corticosteroid treatment is effective in reduction of duration of headache but may be contraindicated in particular patients. This study investigated clinical features and clinical course of eosinophilic meningitis caused by A . cantonensis if left untreated. Additionally, factors associated with duration of headache were evaluated. We conducted a retrospective study between 1997 and 2019 at a university hospital in Thailand. The inclusion criteria were adult patients who were diagnosed with EOM, had a positive serological test for A . cantonensis , received only supportive treatment, and had the complete clinical course documented. Factors associated with duration of headache were executed by multivariate linear regression analysis. A total of 54 patients were used in the final analysis. Of those, 39 patients (79.2%) were male and the mean ± SD age of all patients was 33.7 ± 12.2. The mean ± SD duration of headache was 16.0 ± 12.4 days with the longest duration of 49 days. The only factor associated with duration of headache was gender ( p = 0.036). The male gender had a coefficient of −8.4 (95% CI: −16.2, −0.6). The median duration of headache in male and female patients was 11 and 20 days, respectively. In conclusion, A . cantonensis eosinophilic meningitis can cause long lasting headache, and gender may be associated with duration of headache.

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common factor associated with hypertensive crises. There is limited evidence of prevalence and risk factors of OSA in hypertensive emergency. Methods: This study recruited adult patients who diagnosed as hypertensive emergency and tested for OSA. The study period was between July 2019 and January 2020. The patients were categorized as OSA and non-OSA groups by the evidence from polysomnography. Prevalence and risk factors for OSA were executed. Results: During the study, there were 52 eligible patients. Of those, 30 patients (57.69%) were diagnosed with OSA. The stepwise logistic regression analysis for predicting OSA had two remaining factors: body mass index and diastolic blood pressure. Only body mass index was independently associated with OSA with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.166 (95% confidence interval of 1.033, 1.316). The body mass index of 25.02 kg/m 2 gave sensitivity and specificity of 80.00% and 59.09%, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 70.98%. Conclusion: OSA had high incidence rate in patients with hypertensive emergency. High body mass index was a predictor for OSA associated with hypertensive emergency.

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