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Biomedical subjects

M H Alderman

Publications and source records attributed to M H Alderman.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Pulse pressure: a predictor of cardiovascular mortality among young normotensive subjects.

Wide pulse pressure has been associated with increased cardiovascular disease events among hypertensive subjects. To test the hypothesis that this association also exists among normotensive subjects, data from the first National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey and the 1992 Epidemiological Follow-up Study were analyzed. The study group included 7346 participants, aged 25-74 years, with baseline blood pressure levels <140/90 mmHg and without a history of hypertension. Deaths from cardiovascular disease and all other causes were determined. At entry, mean age and blood pressure level were 43.4 years and 118/76 mmHg. During an average follow-up period of 17.4 years, there were 1443 (19.6%) deaths, 557 of them ascribed to cardiovascular disease. Age-race-adjusted cardiovascular mortality was significantly higher for those in the highest quartile of pulse pressure (> or = 50 mmHg). However, after stratification into age <55 years and > or = 55 years, and controlling for other cardiovascular risk factors, increased pulse pressure was associated with cardiovascular mortality only in younger men and women. In these subjects, men and women with pulse pressures > or = 48, and > or = 46 mmHg, respectively, had a relative risk (95% confidence in terval) of 2.35 (1.21-4.38) and 2.90 (1.34-4.98) for cardiovascular mortality with those with pulse pressures of less than 36 and 34 mmHg, respectively (p < 0.05) as reference. While systolic blood pressure by itself was a weaker predictor of cardiovascular mortality than pulse pressure, diastolic and mean arterial pressure were not predictive at all. No measure of blood pressure was related to mortality in those aged > or = 55 years. In conclusion, among young subjects, but not older normotensive persons, at very low risk of cardiovascular disease, a wide pulse pressure is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality.

Adult↗

Salt, blood pressure, and human health.

The positive relation of sodium intake and blood pressure, first recognized a century ago, has been well established in ecological, epidemiological, and experimental human studies. Equally well established is the association of increasing blood pressure and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Indeed, the pharmacological capacity to reduce blood pressure has produced one of the great public health accomplishments of the 20th century. These two facts-the positive relation of blood pressure to strokes and heat attacks and the positive association of sodium intake to blood pressure-underlie the hypothesis that a reduction in sodium intake, by virtue of its hypotensive effect, might prevent strokes and heart attacks. Moreover, even if the effect on blood pressure were in the range of a 1- to 2-mm Hg decline in blood pressure for every 75- to 100-mmol difference in sodium intake, the impact of such a change, applied to the whole population, would be enormous. The problem with this appealing possibility is that a reduction in salt consumption of this magnitude has other-and sometimes adverse-health consequences. The question, therefore, is whether the beneficial hypotensive effects of sodium restriction will outweigh its hazards. Unfortunately, few data link sodium intake to health outcomes, and that which is available is inconsistent. Without knowledge of the sum of the multiple effects of a reduced sodium diet, no single universal prescription for sodium intake can be scientifically justified.

Adult↗

Dietary potassium intake and stroke mortality.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: An inverse relationship of dietary potassium to stroke mortality in a small community has been previously reported. To further assess this association in a larger sample, we examined data from the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I) Epidemiological Follow-up Study. METHODS: We analyzed baseline data during 1971-1975 and follow-up through 1992. Dietary potassium intake, determined by 24-hour dietary recall at baseline, was available for 9866 subjects. Stroke mortality was recorded through 1992 follow-up. RESULTS: Mean age and dietary potassium at baseline were 55 years and 2084 mg/d; blacks reported significantly lower potassium intake than whites (1606 versus 2178 mg/24 h). During an average of 16.7 years of follow-up, there were 304 stroke deaths. For men, stratified by tertile of dietary potassium intake, age-adjusted stroke mortality rates per 1000 person-years for the lowest dietary potassium group were significantly higher than for the highest intake group, for both whites (1.94 versus 1.17; relative risk, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.32 to 2.14) and blacks (5.08 versus 1.19; relative risk, 4.27; 95% CI, 1.88 to 9. 19). For women, there was no significant difference in stroke mortality between similar levels of potassium intake for either whites (1.61 versus 1.42; relative risk, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.84 to 1.66) or blacks (2.46 versus 3.04; relative risk, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.21 to 2. 01). After stratification by hypertensive status, stroke mortality rates were significantly different by tertile of dietary potassium only for hypertensive men. There was no stroke mortality difference by potassium intake among hypertensive women or nonhypertensive men and women. Multivariate analysis, in which we controlled for caloric intake and other baseline cardiovascular risk factors, revealed that only among black men and hypertensive men was lower dietary potassium intake a predictor of stroke mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The previous finding of an association of increasing dietary potassium intake with decreasing stroke mortality has been detected only among black men and hypertensive men in this study.

Adult↗

Therapeutic benefits of ACE inhibitors and other antihypertensive drugs in patients with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether ACE inhibitors are superior to alternative agents for the prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This study is a review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that included patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension who were randomized to an ACE inhibitor or an alternative drug, were followed for > or =2 years, and had adjudicated cardiovascular events. RESULTS: A total of 4 trials were eligible. The Appropriate Blood Pressure Control in Diabetes (ABCD) trial (n = 470) compared enalapril with nisoldipine, the Captopril Prevention Project (CAPPP) (n = 572) compared captopril with diuretics or beta-blockers, the Fosinopril Versus Amlodipine Cardiovascular Events Trial (FACET) (n = 380) compared fosinopril with amlodipine, and the U.K. Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) (n = 758) compared captopril with atenolol. The cumulative results of the first 3 trials showed a significant benefit of ACE inhibitors compared with alternative treatments on the outcomes of acute myocardial infarction (63% reduction, P < 0.001), cardiovascular events (51% reduction, P < 0.001), and all-cause mortality (62% reduction, P = 0.010). These findings were not observed in the UKPDS. The ACE inhibitors did not appear to be superior to other agents for the outcome of stroke in any of the trials. None of the findings were explained by differences in blood pressure control. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the alternative agents tested, ACE inhibitors may provide a special advantage in addition to blood pressure control. The question of whether atenolol is equivalent to captopril remains open. Conclusive evidence on the comparative effects of antihypertensive treatments will come from large prospective randomized trials.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗

Cardiovascular mortality of Chinese in New York City.

To determine cardiovascular disease mortality among Chinese migrants in New York City and compare it to both that of residents in China and whites in New York City, mortality records for 1988 through 1992 for New York City and the 1990 US census data for New York City were linked. Age-specific death rates for urban China, reported by the World Health Organization, were used for comparison. The results show that male and female Chinese residents in New York City had lower mortality rates for all causes and total cardiovascular disease than did either New York City whites or Chinese in China. Coronary heart disease deaths among New York City Chinese were intermediate between Chinese in China (lowest) and New York City whites (highest). Stroke death rates for New York City Chinese were substantially lower than those in China and, in general, were similar to those for New York City whites. However, New York City Chinese had higher death rates for hemorrhagic stroke and lower for atherosclerotic stroke than did New York City whites. In conclusion, cardiovascular mortality rates among Chinese migrants in New York City fall below those of both Chinese in China and whites in New York City.

Adult↗

Diabetes and cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients.

To determine the relation of self-reported history of diabetes as well as baseline and in-treatment blood sugar to subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD) in treated hypertensive patients, we assessed the experience of 6886 participants in a systematic treatment program. The presence or absence of a history of diabetes was known for all patients, who were then stratified into 3 groups according to blood sugar at baseline and in treatment (<6.11, 6.11 to 7.74, and >/=7.75 mmol/L). Some 7.4% of all patients reported history of diabetes, and the overall prevalence of blood sugar >/=7. 75 mmol/L was 7.7% and 10.4% at baseline and in treatment, respectively. Patients with a history of diabetes were 10 or 8 times as likely to have blood sugar >/=7.75 mmol/L at baseline (47.2% versus 4.5%) or in treatment (55.0% versus 6.8%), as were patients without history. During an average 6.3 years of follow-up, patients with history of diabetes had a cardiovascular event incidence 2-fold higher than those without history (20.8 versus 8.6/1000 person-years). Age-gender-adjusted CVD incidence rate but not non-CVD was twice as high in the highest compared with the lowest blood sugar stratum (baseline 16.6 versus 8.4/1000 person-years; in treatment 15.2 versus 8.2). Three separate models of Cox multivariate analysis revealed that history of diabetes (with no history as reference) had a greater association with CVD events (hazard ratio 2.37, 95% confidence interval 1.80 to 3.11) than did baseline (1.75, 1.31 to 2.33) or in-treatment blood sugar (1.55, 1. 19 to 2.02). Furthermore, in the presence of history of diabetes (2. 15, 1.58 to 2.92), neither baseline nor in-treatment blood sugar was independently associated with CVD risk. In the elevated (>/=7.75 mmol/L) in-treatment blood sugar group, the age-gender-adjusted rate of CVD events in frequent diuretic users (30.79/1000 person-years) was significantly higher than in moderate (13.34, P=0.004) and rare users (13.25, P=0.008). These data affirm that the coincidence of diabetes and hypertension is common, that evidence of diabetes substantially increases CVD risk, that self-reported history is a more powerful predictor of CVD events than any measure of blood sugar, and that CVD increases in hypertensive diuretic users who develop hyperglycemia even when blood pressure is well controlled.

Adult↗

Serum uric acid and cardiovascular events in successfully treated hypertensive patients.

To determine whether pretreatment and/or in-treatment serum uric acid (SUA) is independently and specifically associated with cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients, we examined the 20-year experience of 7978 mild-to-moderate hypertensive participants in a systematic worksite treatment program. Clinical evaluation and treatment were protocol-directed. SUA was measured at entry and annually thereafter. Subjects were stratified according to gender-specific quartile of baseline SUA. Blood pressures at entry and in-treatment were, respectively, 152.5/95.6 and 138.9/85.4 mm Hg. SUA was normally distributed with a mean of 0.399+/-0.0893 and 0. 321+/-0.0833 mmol/L for men and women, respectively. Subjects with highest SUA were heavier, had greater evidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), higher systolic blood pressure, higher creatinine, more frequent diuretic use, and lower prevalence of diabetes. During an average follow-up of 6.6 years (52 751 patient-years), 548 CVD events (183 mortal) and 116 non-CVD events occurred. In bivariate analysis, the association of SUA to CVD was more robust in nonwhites than whites and in patients at low versus high CVD risk. In multivariate analysis, CVD incidence was significantly associated with SUA with a hazard ratio of 1.22 (95% confidence interval 1.11 to 1.35), controlling for other known cardiovascular risk factors, including serum creatinine, body mass index, and diuretic use. Despite blood pressure control, SUA levels increased during treatment and were significantly and directly associated with CVD events, independently of diuretic use and other cardiovascular risk factors.

Adult↗

Low birth weight: race and maternal nativity--impact of community income.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this article is to determine the effect of community income as a co-factor in the association of low birth weight, race, and maternal nativity in New York City. METHODS: New York City birth records, 1988 through 1994, provided data on maternal and infant characteristics. There were 274 121 white and 279 826 black mothers included in this study. Black mothers were classified as US-born (South and Northeast) and foreign-born (the Caribbean, South America, and Africa). Based on the 1990 US census income data, census tracts of the city were aggregated by tertile of per capita income as low-, middle-, and high-income communities. Incidence of low birth weight was estimated by race, maternal nativity in the city as a whole, and each income community. RESULTS: Overall, black women had a substantially higher risk of low birth weight infants (<2500 g) than did whites (13.1% vs 4.8%). Foreign-born black mothers had a birth weight advantage over US-born black mothers (10.0% vs 16.7%). After controlling for socioeconomic and medical characteristics, the risks of low birth weight for blacks compared with whites were 0.95 (95% confidence interval: 0. 87-1.03) and 0.86 (0.69-1.02) for Caribbean- and African-born black mothers, respectively. Moreover, in low-income communities, compared with white mothers, the risks for Caribbean- and African-born black mothers were 0.88 (0.79-0.97) and 0.77 (0.61-0.96), respectively. By contrast, US and South American-born black mothers had a consistently higher risk of low birth weight infants, regardless of community income level. CONCLUSION: Low birth weight was significantly less frequent among whites than among blacks. However, this overall finding masked substantial variation among blacks, determined by maternal nativity and the income level of the community in which they lived. In fact, Caribbean- and African-born black mothers had birth outcomes generally similar to and, in poor communities, even more favorable than those for whites.

Africa↗

The influence of maternal hypertension on low birth weight: differences among ethnic populations.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the influence of maternal hypertension on the risk of low birth weight among white, black, and Hispanic residents of New York City. METHODS: New York City birth certificates, 1988 through 1994, provided data on maternal and infant characteristics. Hypertension was self-reported on birth certificates, and was categorized as chronic or pregnancy-related hypertension. The complication of preeclampsia/eclampsia was also noted. The risk of low birth weight (<2500 grams) for maternal hypertension was determined. RESULTS: The prevalence of hypertension during pregnancy was 3.8% overall, and was highest for blacks and lowest for whites. Low birth weight rates for white, black, and Hispanic babies were 5.0%, 12.8%, and 7.5%, respectively. Low birth weight rates among hypertensive mothers for whites, blacks and Hispanics were 16.8%, 24.4% and 19.5% respectively. The trends were similar for chronic and pregnancy-related hypertension, as well as for preeclampsia/eclampsia. The relative risk of low birth weight offspring among all hypertensive mothers was highest among whites (3.58, 95% CI = 3.39-3.79), and lowest among blacks (1.99, 95% CI = 1.93-2.06). This trend persisted for chronic and pregnancy-related hypertensive mothers, and those with preeclampsia/eclampsia, after adjusting for other maternal socioeconomic characteristics. Due to the higher prevalence of hypertension among black mothers, the population attributable risk of low birth weight was highest among black babies (557 per 100,000 live births) and lowest among whites (309 per 100,000 live births). CONCLUSION: Maternal hypertension is an important risk factor for low birth weight. Its impact, however, differed by race/ethnicity groups.

Black People↗

A new model of risk: implications of increasing pulse pressure and systolic blood pressure on cardiovascular disease.

Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) has historically functioned as the primary indicator of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Many clinical and observational, long-term, large population studies, including the Framingham Heart Study and Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT), have repeatedly demonstrated a positive correlation between CVD events and DBP. However, unexplained results, often emerged from the data, in the form of a DBP threshold (where lower rates of DBP were not associated with lower disease rates) and a J-shaped relationship (a decline of DBP that correlated with an increased risk of CVD), have complicated the association of blood pressure to events. In the past decade studies have focused on other indicators to explain these irregularities. From these clinical and observational studies, new evidence has become available which strongly indicates that systolic blood pressure (SBP) and pulse pressure (PP) may be more reliable predictors of CVD events than DBP. Indeed, in several studies, a wide baseline PP has been identified as the only measure of blood pressure that is an independent risk factor for cardiac events. Moreover, pretreatment SBP has linearly predicted future CVD events in treated patients, while DBP has not. These studies of treated patients have also led to the identification of pretreatment risk factors that can be applied to stratify risk among patients who go on to have controlled blood pressure on treatment. This new information can more precisely identify patients at increased risk of CVD events and thus make it possible to more precisely tailor therapy to enhance the potential for CVD prevention.

Blood Pressure↗

Dietary sodium intake and mortality: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I).

BACKGROUND: Population-wide restriction of dietary sodium has been recommended. However, little evidence directly links sodium intake to morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to assess the relation of sodium intake to subsequent all-cause and cardiovascular-disease (CVD) mortality in a general population. METHODS: The first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey established baseline information during 1971-75 in a representative sample of 20729 US adults (aged 25-75). 11348 underwent medical examination and nutritional examination based on 24 h recall. Two had no data on sodium intake available. Vital status at June 30, 1992, was obtained for the 11346 participants through interview, tracing, and searches of the national death index. Mortality was examined in sex-specific quartiles of sodium intake, calorie intake, and sodium/calorie ratio. Multiple regression analyses were done to assess the relations with mortality. FINDINGS: There were 3923 deaths, of which 1970 were due to CVD. All-cause mortality (per 1000 person-years; adjusted for age and sex) was inversely associated with sex-specific quartiles of sodium intake (lowest to highest quartile 23.18 to 19.01, p<0.0001) and total calorie intake (25.03 to 18.40, p<0.0001) and showed a weak positive association with quartiles of sodium/calorie ratio (20.27 to 21.71, p=0.14). The pattern for CVD mortality was similar (sodium 11.80 to 9.60, p<0.0019; calories 12.80 to 8.94, p<0.0002; sodium/calorie ratio 9.73 to 11.35, p=0.017). In Cox multiple regression analysis, sodium intake was inversely associated with all-cause (p=0.0069) and CVD mortality (p=0.086) and sodium/calorie ratio was directly associated with all-cause (p=0.0004) and CVD mortality (p=0.0056). By contrast, calorie intake in the presence of the two measures of sodium intake was not independently associated with mortality (all-cause p=0.86; CVD p=0.74). Analysis restricted to participants with no history of CVD at baseline gave similar results. INTERPRETATION: This observational study does not justify any particular dietary recommendation. Specifically, these results do not support current recommendations for routine reduction of sodium consumption, nor do they justify advice to increase salt intake or to decrease its concentration in the diet.

Adult↗

JNC V revisited: standard of care or individualized treatment for hypertension?

The fifth report of the National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC V) has weathered the test of time fairly well. The significant new dimensions of the 1992 document included (1) a new classification system reflecting the recognition that risk from hypertension does not arise at a specific blood pressure level but is continuous, (2) an expanded list of agents suitable for antihypertensive therapy, (3) recognition of the significance of systolic blood pressure as a risk factor, particularly isolated systolic blood pressure in the elderly, (4) identification of diuretics and beta-blockers as agents of first use, and (5) recognition that, in addition to level of blood pressure, absolute risk for cardiovascular disease events should influence the nature of therapy. Concern for matching therapeutic efforts with actual risk of disease and potential for benefit has grown. Some have recommended that drug therapy be reserved for those whose absolute risk of a CVD event is above an arbitrary threshold. The next JNC report is likely to be more precise in linking treatment recommendations to the actual level of risk, as well as level of blood pressure, particularly within the broad range of levels where, in JNC V, the decision to treat was left to individual judgment.

Antihypertensive Agents↗

Residential segregation and mortality in New York City.

The objective of this research was to determine the effect of residential racial segregation on all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in New York City. A cross-sectional study of residents in New York City was conducted linking mortality records from 1988 through 1994, to the 1990 United States Census data stratified by zipcode. All-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality rates for non-Hispanic blacks and whites were estimated by zipcode. Zipcodes were aggregated according to the degree of residential segregation (predominantly (> or = 75%) white and black areas) and mortality rates were compared. Multiple regression analysis was used to associate population characteristics with mortality. In New York City, although overall mortality rates of blacks exceed whites, these rates varied substantially by locality according to the pattern of racial segregation. Whites living in the higher (mainly white) socioeconomic areas had lower mortality rates than whites living in predominantly black areas (1473.7 vs 1934.1 for males, and 909.9 vs 1414.7 for females for all-cause mortality). This was true for all age groups. By contrast, elderly blacks living in black areas, despite their less favorable socioeconomic status, had lower mortality rates for all-cause, total cardiovascular disease, and coronary heart disease, than did those living in white areas, even after adjusting for available socioeconomic variables. Racial segregation in residence is independently associated with mortality. Within racially segregated areas, members of the dominant group, for all age, among whites and elderly blacks, enjoy outcomes superior both to members of the minority racial group of their community, and to members of the same race residing in other areas, where they are in the minority, independent of socio-economic status.

Adult↗