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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.

 

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