Efficacy of Telmisartan Plus Amlodipine in Nonresponders to CCB Monotherapy

Hypertensive patients unable to reach blood pressure (BP) targets with antihypertensive monotherapy may be switched to a combination of two medications with complementary modes of action for improved treatment response. This post hoc analysis pools data from 2812 patients, 1891 of whom were not at goal (diastolic BP [DBP] <90 mm Hg) with amlodipine 5 mg (A5) monotherapy who subsequently switched to telmisartan 40 or 80 mg (T80)/A5 single-pill combination (SPC) or amlodipine 10 mg (A10) monotherapy, and considers an additional 921 patients, 616 of whom were not at goal with A10 monotherapy who switched to telmisartan/amlodipine SPC. Patients switched to telmisartan/amlodipine SPC achieved significantly greater BP reductions compared with continued monotherapy (P<0.0001) with reductions of −15.2/−10.9 mm Hg seen with T80/A5 after 8 weeks in patients switched from A5. BP goal (<140/90 mm Hg), systolic BP goal (<140 mm Hg), and DBP goal (<90 mm Hg) were reached by significantly more patients with telmisartan/amlodipine than with monotherapy (P<0.0001 for all comparisons; 56.1%, 69.7%, and 66.9%, resp., in patients who switched from A5 to T80/A5). Early use of such combination therapy should be considered to quickly reach BP targets, particularly in patients with added risk

Efficacy of Single-Pill Combination of Telmisartan 80 mg and Hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: A Prospective Subgroup Analysis of a Randomized, Double-Blind, and Controlled Trial

Objective. Report of prespecified and post hoc subgroup analyses of a randomized, controlled trial comparing telmisartan 80 mg/hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg (T80/H25) combination therapy with T80 monotherapy, according to the presence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Methods. Hypertensive patients were randomized (2 : 1) to receive T80/H25 or T80 for 6 weeks, following a 1-week, low-dose, and run-in period. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic BP reductions and BP goal achievement were evaluated in patients with CVD risk factors: presence of diabetes mellitus (DM), renal impairment, increased body mass index (BMI), and 10-year estimated risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). Results. In total, 888 patients received treatment. Overall, T80/H25 therapy significantly reduced SBP more than T80 monotherapy, irrespective of patient subgroup. In patients with DM, renal impairment, high BMI, and high CHD risk, BP goal achievement rates (<140/90 mm Hg) at Week 7, among those treated with T80/H25, were 52.8%, 52.8%, 50.6%, and 38.5%, respectively. More patients with DM reached a guideline-based BP goal (<130/80 mm Hg) at 7 weeks with T80/H25 than with T80 monotherapy (16.7% versus 8.8%). Rates of treatment-related adverse events were low and comparable across patient subgroups. Conclusions. Antihypertensive treatment with T80/H25 single-pill combination is effective and generally well tolerated, irrespective of the presence of CVD risk factors

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in East Asian-ancestry populations identifies four new loci for body mass index

Recent genetic association studies have identified 55 genetic loci associated with obesity or body mass index (BMI). The vast majority, 51 loci, however, were identified in European-ancestry populations. We conducted a meta-analysis of associations between BMI and ∼2.5 million genotyped or imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms among 86 757 individuals of Asian ancestry, followed by in silico and de novo replication among 7488–47 352 additional Asian-ancestry individuals. We identified four novel BMI-associated loci near the KCNQ1 (rs2237892, P = 9.29 × 10−13), ALDH2/MYL2 (rs671, P = 3.40 × 10−11; rs12229654, P = 4.56 × 10−9), ITIH4 (rs2535633, P = 1.77 × 10−10) and NT5C2 (rs11191580, P = 3.83 × 10−8) genes. The association of BMI with rs2237892, rs671 and rs12229654 was significantly stronger among men than among women. Of the 51 BMI-associated loci initially identified in European-ancestry populations, we confirmed eight loci at the genome-wide significance level (P < 5.0 × 10−8) and an additional 14 at P < 1.0 × 10−3 with the same direction of effect as reported previously. Findings from this analysis expand our knowledge of the genetic basis of obesity

Efficacy and Tolerability of Telmisartan Plus Amlodipine in Asian Patients Not Adequately Controlled on Either Monotherapy or on Low-Dose Combination Therapy

Objective. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the telmisartan plus amlodipine (T/A) single-pill combination (SPC) in Asian patients with hypertension whose blood pressure (BP) was not adequately controlled on either monotherapy or on low-dose combination therapy. Patients and Methods. Data are presented from five Boehringer Ingelheim-sponsored phase 3, double-blind, 8-week, studies: two studies in nonresponders to amlodipine (data pooled for amlodipine), two studies on nonresponders to telmisartan (pooled data), and one on nonresponders to low-dose T/A SPC. Results. After 8 weeks’ treatment, mean reductions from the reference baseline in diastolic BP (DBP; primary endpoint), systolic BP (SBP), and SBP, DBP goal, and response rates were higher with the T/A SPC than respective monotherapies. The T80/A5 SPC resulted in greater reductions in DBP and SBP, and higher DBP goal and response rate than the low-dose T40/A5 SPC. Peripheral edema incidence was low (amlodipine 0.5%, telmisartan 0.0%, and T/A SPC 0.7%). Discussion and Conclusion. In Asian patients whose BP is not adequately controlled with telmisartan or amlodipine monotherapy, T/A SPC treatment results in greater BP reduction, and higher DBP and SBP goal and response rates. The safety and tolerability of the T/A SPC are comparable to those of the respective monotherapies and consistent with those reported in previous studies

Association of body mass index with cause specific deaths in Chinese elderly hypertensive patients: Minhang community study.

BACKGROUND: Most studies have suggested that elevated body mass index (BMI) was associated with the risk of death from all cause and from specific causes. However, there was little evidence illustrating the effect of BMI on the mortality in elderly hypertensive patients in Chinese population. METHODS: The information of 10,957 hypertensive patients at baseline not less than 60 years were from Xinzhuang, a town in Minhang district of Shanghai, was extracted from the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. All study participants were divided into eight categories of baseline BMI (with cut-points at 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30 kg/m(2)). Relative hazard ratio of death from all cause, cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular cause by baseline BMI groups were calculated, standardized for sex, age, smoking, drinking, physical activity, systolic blood pressure, history of cardiovascular disorders, serum lipid disturbance, diabetes mellitus and antihypertensive drug treatment. RESULTS: DURING FOLLOW UP (MEDIAN: 3.7 years), 561 deaths occurred. Underweight (BMI<18 kg/m(2)) was associated with significantly increased mortality from all cause mortality (OR: 2.00; 95% CI: 1.43-2.79) and non cardiovascular mortality (OR: 2.76; 95% CI: 1.87-4.07), but not with cardiovascular mortality. For the cause specific analysis, the underweight was associated significantly with neoplasms (OR: 2.15; 95% CI: 1.16-4.00) and respiratory disorders (OR: 3.41; 95% CI: 1.64-7.06). The results for total mortality and specific cause mortality were not influenced by sex, age and smoking status. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed an association between underweight and increased mortality from non-cardiovascular disorders in elderly hypertensive patients in Chinese community. Overweight and obesity were not associated with all cause or cause specific death

Association of ATP2B1 common variants with asymptomatic intracranial and extracranial large artery stenosis in hypertension patients

Background and aims: Genetic factors play an important role in the cervico-cerebral large-artery atherosclerotic stenosis (LAS), and ATP2B1 gene has been associated with the process of atherosclerosis disorders, such as coronary artery disease and arterial stiffness. But there is little information about the relationship between ATP2B1 gene and atherosclerosis in the intracranial arteries. We hereby investigated the association of common variants in ATP2B1 gene with LAS in asymptomatic Chinese hypertension patients. Methods: The stenosis of intracranial and extracranial arteries were evaluated in 899 subjects through computerized tomography angiography from the aortic arch to the skull base. A total of 11 ATP2B1 common variants were genotyped. Multivariate logistic regression was carried out in a dominant model with confounding factors adjusted. Results: rs17249754-A (OR = 0.43, p = 0.0002) and rs1401982-G (OR = 0.47, p = 0.0007) were associated with decreased susceptibility of concurrent extra and intracranial stenosis even after Bonferroni correction. These two minor alleles were also significantly associated with less stenotic arteries and moderate-to-severe stenosis. Conclusion: rs17249754 and rs1401982 were associated with asymptomatic LAS in stroke-free Chinese hypertension patients and might benefit early recognition of LAS patients in clinical practice

Association of Lp-PLA2 Mass and Aysmptomatic Intracranial and Extracranial Arterial Stenosis in Hypertension Patients.

Intracranial arterial stenosis (ICAS) is a common cause of ischemic stroke in Asians, whereas whites tend to have more extracranial lesions. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) has been associated with ischemic stroke by a large amount of work. However, there are few studies focusing on the relationship of Lp-PLA2 and asymptomatic ICAS or extracranial arterial stenosis (ECAS). Wehereby sought to explore the relationship of Lp-PLA2 and ICAS, ECAS and concurrent stenosis in stroke-free hypertensive patients in Chinese population.All the subjects were evaluated for the presence and severity of ICAS and ECAS through computerized tomographic angiography (CTA) covered the whole brain down to the level of aortic arch. Lp-PLA2 mass was measured by enzyme linked immunoassay. The association of Lp-PLA2 and vascular stenosis was analyzed through multivariate logistic regression.Among 414 participants, 163 (39.4%) had no ICAS or ECAS, 63 (15.2%) had ECAS only, 111 (26.8%) had ICAS only and 77 (18.6%) had concurrent extraintracranial stenosis. Lp-PLA2 mass was significantly associated with isolated ICAS (OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.14-4.64), and concurrent stenosis (OR: 3.93; 95% CI: 1.62-9.51), but was not related to isolated ECAS (OR: 1.54; 95% CI: 0.68-3.48). Lp-PLA2 mass was also associated with moderate to severe ICAS no matter how was the ECAS. Moreover, patients with higher Lp-PLA2 mass showed more sever ICAS and had more intracranial arterial lesions.This study revealed the association of Lp-PLA2 mass with ICAS in stroke-free hypertensive patients in Chinese population. The further long-term cohort study was warranted to elucidate the concrete effect of Lp-PLA2 on the asymptomatic ICAS