Dyslipidemic Hypertension Linked With Cardiovascular Risk

Dyslipidemic hypertension subjects were 57% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease.

The findings indicate that roughly one in six adults in this population has dyslipidemic hypertension. In addition to an adverse lipid profile and high blood pressure, key features of the disorder include metabolic syndrome, elevated BMI, and increased C-reactive protein levels.

Previous studies have indicated that Turkish adults have a higher prevalence of hypertension, low HDL cholesterol and metabolic syndrome compared with Western populations, Dr. Altan Onat, from the Turkish Society of Cardiology in Istanbul, and colleagues note.

To investigate dyslipidemic hypertension in this population, Dr. Onat’s group evaluated 2225 men and women who were free of cardiovascular disease at baseline and were followed for a mean of 4.1 years. The percentage of subjects with normal blood pressure, dyslipidemic hypertension, and simple hypertension were 47%, 16%, and 37%, respectively.

Dyslipidemic hypertension subjects were 57% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease during follow-up than those with simple hypertension, the authors note. About half of this elevated risk was due to the presence of metabolic syndrome.
Among subjects with dyslipidemic hypertension, independent predictors of cardiovascular disease included older age, diabetes, pulse pressure. High LDL-cholesterol levels and fasting hyperinsulinemia were of borderline significance in predicting this outcome.

Knowledge of these independent predictors of cardiovascular disease in dyslipidemic hypertension patients "has relevance for risk assessment in clinical practice and a potential in therapeutic decision making," the authors state.
Am J Hypertens 2005;18:409-416.

================================

DID YOU KNOW:
Human trials for a diabetes vaccine: British scientists have announced that human trials will begin in August 2005 to test a new treatment that could potentially become a vaccine and a cure for Type 1 diabetes. The treatment, which was successfully applied in mice, involves the injection of a protein which prevents the body from destroying insulin-producing cells. During the study, which is funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the vaccine will be tested on newly diagnosed people with Type 1 diabetes.