Hypertension Flashcards
What is the leading global risk factor for death and disability? (CHEP)
- Hypertension
How common is hypertension in Canada? (CHEP)
- Affects 1 in 4 (23%) Canadian adults
What benefit can treating hypertension have on the risk of stroke and CVD?
- Reduces stroke by 1/3 and CVD by 15%
- Treating HTN and cholesterol can reduce CVD by almost half
What are 11 risk factors for hypertension?
- Demographics
- Age >55
- Male
- Southeast Asian, African, First Nations
- Lifestyle
- Sedentary
- Poor diet
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol
- Stress
- Personal medical history
- Dysglycemia
- Family medical history
- CAD <55 in men, <65 in women
In patients presenting with hypertension, what are non-modifiable and modifiable cardiac risk factors that should be asked about? (CHEP)
In patients presenting with hypertension, what are 5 organ systems that should be asked about to assess for end organ damage?
- Brain – recent TIA/stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, aneurysmal sub-arachnoid hemorrhage, dementia (vascular, mixed vascular and Alzheimer’s)
- Eyes – visual blurring (hypertensive retinopathy)
- Heart – prior MI/angina, CHF, LVH, CP, SOB
- Kidney – asymptomatic (CKD)
- Peripheral Arterial Disease - claudication
What are 8 secondary causes of hypertension and associated signs or symptoms?
- OSA – snores, AM headaches, non-refreshing sleep
- RAS – asymptomatic, CAD risks
- Renal insufficiency – CKD, diabetes, or recent strep infection
- Pheochromocytoma – paroxysmal sweating and headache and palpitations
- Hyperaldosteronism – weight loss, low energy
- Cushings – weight gain
- Hyperthyroidism – weight loss, tremor, heat intolerance, diarrhea, light menses
- Medications
What are 12 exogenous substances that can induce/aggravate hypertension? (CHEP)
- NSAIDs
- Steroids
- OCP/HRT/Testosterone
- Decongestants
- Calcineurin inhibitors – cyclosporine, tacrolimus
- EPO
- MAOIs, SSRIs, SNRIs
- Midodrine
- Licorice root
- Stimulants/cocaine
- Salt
- Alcohol
What are 3 important considerations when performing a physical exam on a patient with hypertension?
- Signs of end organ damage
- Secondary causes of hypertension
- Metabolic syndrome
What are 4 organ systems that should be evaluated for end organ damage on physical exam in patients with hypertension?
- Brain – neurologic exam, carotid bruits, dementia
- Eyes – retinal hemorrhage
- Heart – loud S2, precordial heave
- Peripheral vascular – poor pulses, AAA
What are signs on physical exam that could be associated with 7 different secondary causes of hypertension?
- OSA – wide neck, micronathia
- RAS – abdominal bruits
- Renal insufficiency - asymptomatic
- Pheochromocytoma – flank mass, tachycardia
- Hyperaldosteronism – flank mass
- Cushings – central obesity, hirsutism, easy bruising, striae
- Hyperthyroidism – tachycardia, goiter, ophthalmoplegia, hyperreflexia
How is metabolic syndrome diagnosed?
≥3 measures to make the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome
Waist Circumference
≥102 cm (Men) / ≥88 cm (Women)
TG
≥1.7 mmol/L
HDL
<1.0 mmol/L (Men) / <1.3 mmol/L (Women)
BP
SBP ≥130 mm Hg and/or DBP ≥85 mm Hg
FPG
≥5.6 mmol/L
What are 4 different scenarios in which BP can be measured?
- Office
- Non-AOBP
- AOBP
- Home
- Ambulatory
What is the preferred method of measuring in-office blood pressure? (CHEP)
- Automatic office BP (AOBP)
- Taken WITHOUT patient-health provider interaction
- Using a FULLY-automatic device
What are the advantages of AOBP over the non-AOBP approach for diagnosing hypertension? (CHEP)
- Eliminates the risk of conversation during readings
- Reduces the risk of the white coat effect
- Facilitates multiple measurements with each clinical encounter (and automatically calculates the mean)
- Closely approximate mean awake ambulatory BP levels
- Consistent from visit to visit
- Are not significantly altered by the setting (e.g. ambulatory BP monitoring unit, office waiting room, physician’s examination room, pharmacy)
- Predict the presence of end-organ damage (carotid intima-media thickness, left ventricular mass index, microalbuminuria) and incidence cardiovascular events
How should BP be measured in the office with non-AOBP?
- Bladder width ~40% of arm circumference
- Patient resting for 5 minutes, legs not crossed
- Cuff 3 cm above antecubital fossa, bladder over brachial artery
- First reading by palpation to evaluate for systolic gap
- Elevate to 30 mmHg above cessation of radial pulse
- Slow deflation of the cuff by 2 mmHg each heartbeat
- No conversation
- First reading disregarded, average second 2 readings
How should the mean BP be measured in the office with non-AOBP? (CHEP)
- First reading discarded
- Latter readings averaged
How should BP be measured for home BP measurement? (CHEP)
How should BP be measured for ambulatory BP monitoring? (CHEP)
How should postural hypotension be assessed? (CHEP)
- Check after 2 minutes of standing (with arm supported)
What levels are considered to be elevated for BP in the 4 measuring scenarios? (CHEP)
- Non-AOBP
- High = SBP ≥140 mmHg or DBP ≥90 mmHg
- High-Normal = SBP 130-139 mmHg or DBP 85-89 mmHg
- AOBP
- High = SBP ≥135 mmHg or DBP ≥85 mmHg
- Ambulatory
- Mean awake SBP ≥135 mmHg or DBP ≥85 mmHg
- Mean 24-hour SBP ≥130 mmHg or DBP ≥80 mmHg
- Home
- High = SBP ≥135 mmHg or DBP ≥85 mmHg
How can hypertension be diagnosed? (CHEP)
What are examples of hypertensive urgencies or emergencies? (CHEP)
- Urgency: Asymptomatic diastolic BP ≥130 mmHg
- Emergency: Severe elevation of BP in the setting of any of:
- Hypertensive encephalopathy
- Acute aortic dissection
- Acute left ventricular failure
- Acute coronary syndrome
- Acute kidney injury
- Intracranial hemorrhage
- Acute ischemic stroke
- Pre-eclampsia/eclampsia
- Catecholamine-associated hypertension
What BP levels can lead to the diagnosis of hypertension on visit 1? (CHEP)
- Mean non-AOBP or AOBP SBP ≥180 mmHg and/or DBP ≥110 mmHg
If the visit 1 mean non-AOBP SBP is 140-179 mmHg and/or DBP is 90-109 mmHg or the mean AOBP SBP is 135-179 mmHg and/or DBP is 85-109 mmHg, what should be done? (CHEP)
- Out-of-office BP measurements
What is the recommended out-of-office BP measurement? (CHEP)
- Ambulatory BP monitoring
When is home BP monitoring recommended? (CHEP)
- Ambulatory BP monitoring not tolerated, not readily available, or because of patient preference
What should be done if the office BP measurement is high and the mean home BP is <135/85 mmHg? (CHEP)
- Repeat home monitoring to confirm home BP is < 135/85 mmHg OR
- Perform 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring
- If repeat is not high, then diagnose white coat hypertension
If the out-of-office measurement is not performed after visit 1, how can hypertension be diagnosed on subsequent visits? (CHEP)
- Visit 2
- Mean office BP measurement (averaged across all visits) is SBP ≥140 mmHg or DBP ≥90 mmHg
- Macrovascular target organ damage, diabetes mellitus, or CKD (eGFR <60)
- Visit 3
- Mean office BP measurement (averaged across all visits) is SBP ≥160 mmHg or DBP ≥100 mmHg
- Visit 5
- Mean office BP measurement (averaged across all visits) is SBP ≥140 mmHg or DBP ≥90 mmHg
How often should patients on antihypertensive drug treatment be seen? (CHEP)
- Monthly or every 2 months until readings on 2 consecutive visits are below their target
- Every 3 to 6 months once at target
What should be done in all patients diagnosed with hypertension? (CHEP)
- Global cardiovascular risk
- Use terms such as “cardiovascular age”, “vascular age”, or “heart age”
- SCORE risk calculator
What routine laboratory tests should be performed for the investigation of all patients with hypertension? (CHEP)
- Urinalysis
- Blood chemistry (potassium, sodium and creatinine)
- Fasting blood glucose and/or glycated hemoglobin
- Lipid panel (fasting or non-fasting)
- ECG
How much variation is seen between fasting and non-fasting lipid levels? (CHEP)
- TC <2%
- HDL <2%
- LDL <10%
- TG 20%
What are two pathophysiologic causes of hypertension that should be investigated in patients newly diagnosed with hypertension? (CHEP)
- Renovascular hypertension
- Endocrine hypertension
Which patients with hypertension should be investigated for renovascular hypertension? (CHEP)
- ≥2 of the following clinical clues:
- Sudden onset or worsening of hypertension and age >55 or <30 years
- Presence of an abdominal bruit
- Hypertension resistant to ≥3 drugs
- Increase in serum creatinine level ≥30% associated with the use of an ACEi or ARB
- Other atherosclerotic vascular disease, particularly in patients who smoke or have dyslipidemia
- Recurrent pulmonary edema associated with hypertensive surges
What are 4 tests that can be done to screen for renal vascular disease? (CHEP)
- Captopril-enhanced radioisotope renal scan
- Doppler sonography
- MR angiography
- CT angiography (if normal renal function)
Which patients with hypertension should be investigated for hyperaldosteronism? (CHEP)
- Hypertensive patients with unexplained spontaneous hypokalemia (K <3.5 mmol/L) or marked diuretic-induced hypokalemia (K <3.0 mmol/L)
- Patients with hypertension refractory to treatment with ≥3 drugs
- Hypertensive patients found to have an incidental adrenal adenoma
What screening tests should be done for hyperaldosteronism? (CHEP)
- Plasma aldosterone and renin
- Collected in the morning after the patient has been ambulatory for at least 2 hours
- Agents that markedly affect the results (aldosterone antagonists, potassium sparing and wasting diuretics) should be withdrawn at least 4-6 weeks prior
How should the diagnosis of primary hyperaldosteronism be made? (CHEP)
- Saline loading tests
- Plasma aldosterone to PRA ratio
- Captopril suppression test
- Administer 25-50 mg captopril PO after the patient has been sitting or standing for 1 hour
- While seated, renin and plasma aldosterone levels should be measured at time zero and 1-2 hours after ingestion
How should the abnormality be localized in patients diagnosed with primary hyperaldosteronism? (CHEP)
- Adrenal CT or MRI