Hypertensives fare better early after heart attack

	Tweet

Among individuals who have a heart attack for the first time, those with High Blood Pressure (hypertension) experience fewer in-hospital complications than do individuals who have normal blood pressure, according to Italian researchers. This could be due to a “less severe extension” of the affected area of the heart, they say.

Hypertension clearly increases the risk for acute heart attack, but its role during and after a heart attack is less clear, Dr. Salvatore Novo from University of Palermo and colleagues explain in the American Journal of Hypertension.

They compared in-hospital outcomes in 915 hypertensive and 915 normotensive patients after their first heart attack.

Hypertensive patients were significantly more likely to have diabetes, unfavorable lipid profiles, renal failure, Peripheral arterial disease (hardening of the blood vessels in the legs), cerebrovascular disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease than were the normotensive patients.

Despite the higher prevalence of these risk factors, hypertensive patients had significantly lower rates of cardiac complications and death than did normotensive patients.

“To the best of our knowledge, the current report is the first to indicate such a clear-cut significant difference in outcome of first-time (heart attack) in hypertensive and normotensive subjects,” the authors conclude. They say further studies are needed to define more clearly the possible reasons for these differences.

SOURCE: American Journal of Hypertension February, 2005. 

RELATED STORIES:
All-cause mortality rates are lower among moderate drinkers than among abstainers   High-dose painkillers increase heart attack risk   Quitting smoking improves blood tests in days   Patients with moderate to severe periodontitis need evaluation for heart disease risk   Infant heart transplant may have down side   Diet appears to alter heart failure risk   Meditation calms the mind, lengthens life: study   Aspirin recommended for patients with diabetes at high risk for CVD   Taking a ‘statin’ soon after heart attack helpful   Sleep apnea linked heartbeat irregularities   New heart scans pose small cancer risk: study   U.S. “stroke belt” also hit by heart failure

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]