MDLinx - New Articles

Vitamin D and Subsequent Systolic Hypertension Among Women American Journal of Hypertension, 02/22/11

Griffin FC et al. – Consistent with previous animal and human studies, the authors found a single–time measure of vitamin D among young adult women was associated with systolic hypertension 14 years later. These prospective results suggest the need for further study of the role vitamin D insufficiency in early adulthood as a risk factor in subsequent hypertension among women.

 

 

Vitamin D and the Prevention of Hypertension and Cardiovascular Diseases: A Review of the Current Evidence American Journal of Hypertension, 03/07/11

Geleijnse JM – Epidemiological data suggest that optimal vitamin D status is important for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention, but results from different studies are conflicting and confounding cannot be ruled out. Randomized?controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation and BP have yielded inconsistent results, and trials that addressed the effect of vitamin D on CVDs are lacking.

 

 

Osteoporosis in men Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 03/21/11

Gielen E et al. – Male osteoporosis is an increasingly important public health problem: from age 50 onward, one in three osteoporotic fractures occurs in men and fracture–related morbidity and mortality are even higher than in women. In 50% of osteoporotic men, an underlying cause can be identified (secondary osteoporosis).

 

 

Use of Fibrates in the United States and Canada JAMA, 03/23/11

Jackevicius CA et al. - During the past decade, prescriptions for fibrates (particularly fenofibrate) increased in the United States, while prescriptions for fibrates in Canada remained stable. Methods This is a population-level, observational cohort study. IMS Health data from the United States and Canada was used. Patients who were prescribed fibrates between January 2002 and December 2009 were enrolled. Results In the United States, fibrate prescriptions dispensed increased from 336 prescriptions/100 000 population in January 2002 to 730 prescriptions/100 000 population in December 2009, an increase of 117.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 116.0%-117.9%). In Canada, fibrate prescriptions increased from 402 prescriptions/100 000 population in January 2002 to 474 prescriptions/100 000 population in December 2009, an increase of 18.1% (95% CI, 17.9%-18.3%) (P <.001). In the United States, fenofibrate prescriptions dispensed increased from 150 prescriptions/100 000 population in January 2002 to 440 prescriptions/100 000 population in December 2009, an increase of 159.3% (95% CI, 157.7%-161.0%), comprising 47.9% of total fibrate prescriptions in 2002 and 65.2% in 2009. In Canada, fenofibrate prescriptions increased from 321 prescriptions/100 000 population in January 2002 to 429 prescriptions/100 000 population in December 2009. The annual ratio of generic to brand-name fenofibrate use in the United States ranged from 0:1 to 0.09:1 between 2002 and 2008. The annual ratio of generic to brand-name fenofibrate use in Canada steadily increased from 0.51:1 to 1.89:1 between 2005 and 2008. In the United States, crude fenofibrate expenditures increased from $11 535/100 000 population/month in 2002 to $44 975/100 000 population/month in 2009. The rates in Canada declined from $17 695/100 000 population/month in 2002 to $16 112/100 000 population/month in 2009. Fibrate expenditures per 100 000 population were 3-fold higher in 2009 in the United States compared with Canad

 

Your Article Summary Initial hypertension treatment: one combination fits most Journal of the American Society of Hypertension, 03/22/11

Brook RD et al. - Authors outline a novel algorithm of starting initial therapy with a single tablet containing amlodipine + benazepril in most patients with hypertension regardless of stage or comorbidities. This streamlined approach is likely to yield an overall positive risk/benefit ratio. Methods Authors reviewed published studies related to the efficacy and efficiency of starting combination antihypertensive treatment versus mono-therapy. Results The evidence supports that initial combination therapy is more effective for many outcomes (ie, reaching blood pressure targets, rapidity of control, patient adherence, and cardiovascular protection assessed by surrogate markers). The few available published clinical trials and observational studies support that the amlodipine + an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor combination may be the most effective for reducing cardiovascular events.