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A Mazza

Publications and source records attributed to A Mazza.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Triglycerides + high-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol dyslipidaemia, a coronary risk factor in elderly women: the CArdiovascular STudy in the ELderly.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between serum triglycerides (TG) level and the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality remains controversial. AIMS: To evaluate whether TG level is a risk factor for CHD in elderly people from general population, and to look for interactions between TG and other risk factors. METHODS: 3257 subjects aged >or= 65 years followed up for 12 years from the CArdiovascular STudy in the ELderly. Blood tests and anthropometric measurements were performed. Continuous items were divided into quintiles and, for each quintile, adjusted hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for CHD mortality was derived by genders from Cox analysis. RESULTS: In women, the HR of being in the fifth rather than in the first quintile of TG was 2.45 (CI 1.48-3.51). In turn, high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) inversely predicted CHD mortality; the HR of being in the first rather than in the fifth quintiles of HDL-C was 1.52 (CI 1.24-2.36). The risk of CHD mortality further increased up to 3.81 (CI 1.62-5.43) when high TG and low HDL-C were combined. No predictive role for either TG or HDL-C was detected in men. CONCLUSIONS: TG and HDL-C were independent predictors of CHD mortality in elderly women. The combination high TG + low HDL-C quadrupled the risk of CHD mortality in this gender only.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Role of telecardiology in the assessment of angina in patients with recent acute coronary syndrome.

We compared two models of assistance (telecardiology versus usual care) for patients discharged after acute coronary syndrome (ACS), in the assessment of angina. Two hundred patients were randomized into two groups at discharge for ACS: Group A to telecardiology and Group B to usual care. Early hospital readmission (in the first month) occurred in 16 patients (seven in Group A and nine in Group B). Six of Group A were readmitted for a cardiac cause (non-cardiac in one). Angina was the only cardiac cause. Five of the Group B patients were readmitted for a cardiac cause (non-cardiac in four). The results of the present study emphasize that patients with ACS suffer from a definite rate of cardiac symptoms within the first month (63%). Angina occurs more frequently within the first two weeks (68% of cases). Telecardiology slightly reduces hospital readmissions (telecardiology 44% versus usual care 56%), but better identifies true angina.

Angina, Unstable↗
PubMed2003

Total cholesterol and mortality in the elderly.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate, at a population level, whether total cholesterol (TC) is a risk factor of mortality. To verify whether or not this is true for both genders. DESIGN: Population-based, long-lasting, prospective study. SETTING: Institutional epidemiology in primary care. SUBJECTS: A total of 3257 subjects aged 65-95 years, recruited from Italian general population. INTERVENTION: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Total cholesterol was measured, analysed as a continuous variable and then divided into quintiles and re-analysed. For each quintile, the multivariate relative risk (RR) of mortality adjusted for confounders was calculated in both genders. Stratification of mortality risk by TC quintiles, body mass index and cigarette smoking was also performed in both genders. RESULTS: Total cholesterol levels directly predicted coronary mortality in men [RR being in the fifth rather than in the first quintile: 2.40 (1.40-4.14)] and any other mortality in women. It also inversely predicted miscellaneous mortality in both genders. This trend was more evident when low cholesterol was associated with malnutrition or smoking. CONCLUSIONS: High TC remains a strong risk factor for coronary mortality in elderly men. On the other hand, having a very low cholesterol level does not prolong survival in the elderly; on the contrary, low cholesterol predicts neoplastic mortality in women and any other noncardiovascular mortality in both genders.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

A ten-year (1989-1998) perspective study of the incidence of Type 1 diabetes in the district of Catania (Sicily) in a 0-14 year age group.

The aim of this report was to evaluate the incidence of Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in the district of Catania (eastern Sicily) in children under 15 yr of age over a ten-yr period (01/01/1989 - 31/12/1998) in relation to age, sex, monthly-seasonal variability, calendar yr and spatial clustering. The estimated completeness of our register was 99.2%. The overall incidence rate was 12.38 per 100,000 during the period of the study. Twenty-four percent of cases were 0-4 yr at diagnosis, 42% were 5-9 yr and 34% were 10-14 yr. More males (no. 148) than females (no. 125) were newly diagnosed with a male/female ratio similar to the base population ratio in the range 0-14 yr and within age groups. The study revealed a non-random spatial distribution of T1DM incidence in children not accounted for by known demographic factors. A significant seasonal pattern and temporal trend of incidence were also detected.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Weak effect of hypertension and other classic risk factors in the elderly who have already paid their toll.

The aim of the CASTEL, a population-based (n=3282) prospective study which began 14 years ago, was to identify those items which had a prognostic impact in the elderly, and to evaluate whether the typical cardiovascular risk factors, particularly arterial hypertension, play a role after the age of 65 years. Initial screening, final follow-up and annual detection of mortality were performed. Mantel-Hanszel approach and multivariate Cox model were used for statistics. Cardiovascular mortality was 23.3% in normotensive, 23.3% in borderline, and 25% in the sustained hypertensive subjects (insignificant difference). In women, the incidence of stroke and coronary artery disease weakly depended on pulse pressure. Historical stroke and myocardial infarction predicted cardiovascular mortality in women; diabetes, uricaemia and high heart rate in men. In the very old, the predictors were less numerous, and blood pressure was not a predictor whatsoever; pulse blood pressure and murmurs at the neck were especially predictive in women, historical heart failure, proteinuria and tachycardia in men, historical stroke and myocardial infarction, pulmonary disease, left ventricular hypertrophy, diabetes and uricaemia in both genders. The elderly have a different cardiovascular risk pattern compared to younger people. Hypertension is not a predictor of coronary and stroke mortality. Prognosis depends on pulse pressure rather than on the label 'hypertension'. Hypercholesterolaemia is not a risk factor. This could simply indicate that elderly persons are the survivors in a population where significant mortality has already made its mark, eliminating those with the worst risk pattern. The two genders have a different risk profile due to sex-specific susceptibility to risk factors.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Pulse pressure and coronary mortality in elderly men and women from general population.

The aim of this work was to evaluate whether pulse pressure (PP) in elderly people is a better predictor of coronary mortality than systolic and diastolic blood pressure taken alone. For this aim, 3282 elderly subjects aged >or=65 years were studied in a population-based frame. Blood pressure was repeatedly measured and averaged; historical data, anthropometrics, blood tests and 14-year coronary mortality were recorded. Statistics included analysis of covariance, Cox analysis and bivariate vectorial analysis. Coronary mortality in women was predicted by PP (1.01 excess risk/mm Hg PP) and was significantly higher in the 3rd than in the 1st tertile of PP (relative risk 2.90); neither systolic nor diastolic pressure taken alone influenced mortality. When systolic and diastolic pressures were both entered into a Cox model, the former had a positive and the latter a negative effect on survival, confirming a prognostic role of PP. For any given level of systolic pressure, mortality was inversely associated with diastolic pressure. Finally, the mean vector representing both systolic and diastolic pressures of non-surviving women was characterised by higher systolic and lower diastolic components than in non-surviving. No significant trend of mortality in relation to either systolic blood pressure or PP was observed in men. In conclusion, the combination of systolic and diastolic pressure called PP is an independent predictor of coronary mortality in elderly females, and a better predictor than systolic or diastolic pressure alone.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Nebivolol vs amlodipine as first-line treatment of essential arterial hypertension in the elderly.

The antihypertensive efficacy of nebivolol and amlodipine and their tolerability were compared in a multicentre, randomized, active-controlled, double-blind parallel-group trial in elderly patients with mild to moderate essential arterial hypertension. One hundred and eighty-four subjects aged > or = 65 years were screened. After a run-in phase of 4 weeks, only 168 of these were randomized with either nebivolol 2.5-5 mg daily (n = 81) or amlodipine 5-10 mg daily (n = 87) over a period of 12 weeks. The response rate to treatment and the changes of sitting diastolic blood pressure (BP) at week 12 were similar between the two groups. A lower sitting systolic BP (SBP) was detected with amlodipine at week 4 (p < 0.05) and at week 8 (p < 0.05). Standing BP showed no changes between the two groups; only SBP was lower with amlodipine at week 8 (p < 0.05). Heart rate was lower at all treatment visits with nebivolol (p < 0.001). The incidence of adverse events was no different between the two groups; however the incidence of headache and ankle oedema was significantly higher with amlodipine (p < 0.05). In elderly subjects with essential hypertension, the antihypertensive efficacy of nebivolol and amlodipine was similar. Both drugs were well tolerated, although amlodipine was accompanied by higher incidence of drug-related adverse events.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Functional and psychological recovery during intensive hospital rehabilitation following cardiac surgery in the elderly.

UNLABELLED: The recovery process in the elderly after cardiac surgery is influenced not only by clinical cardiac conditions, but also by comorbidity, cognitive decline and disability. We evaluated the relationship between clinical objective and self-perceived factors and their influence on functional recovery in 204 consecutive, over-70s pts who were admitted into an intensive hospital rehabilitation program following cardiac surgery. The variables taken into consideration were: comorbidity (Charlson index), length of hospital stay and complications in cardiac surgery and rehabilitation, disability (nursing needs score index), functional status (6-min walking test), left ventricular EF, number of training sessions, self-perceived health status (EuroQol questionnaire), emotional impairment (anxiety/depression, CBA-2.0/interview). RESULTS: Functional capacity: the distance walked was 198 +/- 103 m at admission and 287 +/- 121 m at discharge (p < 0.0001). Only the nursing needs score index resulted as a weak, independent predictor of the distance walked at admission (r2 = 0.14, p < 0.001, beta = 0-.21), which (beta = 0.49), together with complications during rehabilitation (beta = -0.15), self-perceived health status at discharge (beta = 0.15) and number of training sessions (beta = 0.20), was independently correlated with the distance walked at time of discharge (r2 = 050, p < 0.0001). Patients mood: anxiety correlated with depression. Emotional scores did not correlate with functional measures. Patients self-perceived health status: only the nursing needs score index was a weak, independent predictor of well-being at entry (r2 = 0.15, p < 0.0001, beta = -0.29), which, in turn, was the only predictor of perception at discharge (r2 = 0.33, p < 0.0001, beta = 0-.42). CONCLUSIONS: In an intensive hospital rehabilitation program following cardiac surgery in patients over 70 a) there was no correlation between clinical and psychological variables; b) anxiety and depression were associated, but neither influenced the recovery process nor correlated to health status perception; c) functional impairment was strongly influenced by nursing needs which also affected the self-perceived health status; d) both functional and perception recovery were influenced by disability at time of admission and reacted positively after rehabilitation.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2001

Predictors of stroke mortality in elderly people from the general population. The CArdiovascular STudy in the ELderly.

Stroke occurs particularly frequently in elderly people and, being more often disabling than fatal, entails a high social burden. The predictors of stroke mortality have been identified in 3282 subjects aged > or = 65 years, taking part in the CArdiovascular STudy in the ELderly (CASTEL), a population-based study performed in Northeast Italy. Historical and clinical data, blood tests and 14-year fatal events were recorded. Continuous items were divided into quintiles and, for each quintile, adjusted relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals [CI] was derived from multivariate Cox analysis. Age, historical stroke (RR: 5.2; 95% CI: 3.18-8.6) and coronary artery disease (RR: 1.38; CI: 1.18-2.1), atrial fibrillation (RR: 2.40; CI: 1.42-4.0), arterial hypertension (RR: 1.33; CI: 1.15-1.76), systolic blood pressure > or = 163 mmHg (RR: 1.84; CI: 1.20-2.59), pulse pressure > or = 74 mmHg (RR: 1.50; CI: 1.13-2.40), cigarette smoking (RR: 1.60; CI: 1.03-2.47), electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy (RR: 1.72; CI: 1.10-2.61), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT, RR: 1.83; CI: 1.10-3.0), uric acid (UA) > 0.38 mmol/l (RR: 1.61; CI: 1.14-2.10), serum potassium > or = 5 mEq/l (RR: 1.70; CI: 1.24-2.50) and serum sodium < or = 139 mEql/l (RR: 1.34; 1.10-2.10) increased the risk of stroke. In the CASTEL, stroke was the first cardiovascular cause of death. Some independent predictors usually unrelated to stroke mortality (namely pulse pressure, pre-diabetic IGT, UA and blood electrolytes disorders) have been identified.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Six-minute walking performance in patients with moderate-to-severe heart failure; is it a useful indicator in clinical practice?

AIMS: The 6-min walk test has been incorporated into studies on the efficacy of new therapies and into prognostic stratification for chronic heart failure patients. Firm conclusions on the usefulness of the test in clinical practice are still lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate (1) the correlation between walk test performance and standard indices of cardiac function and exercise capacity, and (2) the prognostic value of the walk test with respect to peak VO2 and NYHA class. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three hundred and fifteen chronic heart failure patients (age: 53+/-9 years, NYHA class: II (182), III (133)) underwent a functional evaluation and a 6-min walk test. Of these, 270 were followed-up for a minimum of 6 months (mean 387+/-177 days). Walked distance was 396+/-92 m. There was no significant correlation between distance walked and central haemodynamic data. Functional capacity, as measured by ergometry, correlated moderately with distance walked (duration: r=0.48, peak VO2: r=0.59, anaerobic threshold: r=0.54; all P<0.001). During follow-up, 46 patients died from cardiovascular causes and 12 were urgently transplanted. Either of these events were considered end points of the study. Survival analysis was performed from a continuous walk test and peak VO2 measurements or after categorization of (a) quartile segmentation, (b) cut-off points from the literature and (c) thresholds from receiver operating characteristic curves. At univariate survival analysis (Cox regression), the association of the walk test with survival was of significance (P=0.03, continuous variable), or borderline significance (0.05< or =P< or =0.1, after categorization). Peak VO2 was always significant, independent of the scale used (0.005< or =P< or =0.03). The strongest association was found for NYHA class (P<0.001), which showed the highest sensitivity and specificity for the prediction of the event (0.64 and 0.65, respectively). When walk test performance, continuous or categorized, was entered into a multivariate model with NYHA class or peak VO2, it lost any significant association with survival (P>0.76 in all models with NYHA class and P>0.27 in all models with peak VO2). CONCLUSION: In moderate-to-severe chronic heart failure patients, the 6-min walk test is not related to cardiac function and only moderately related to exercise capacity. Walking performance does not provide prognostic information which can complement or substitute for that provided by peak VO2 or NYHA class. Hence the test is of limited usefulness as a decisional indicator in clinical practice.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Pulse pressure: an independent predictor of coronary and stroke mortality in elderly females from the general population.

The aim of this paper is to evaluate whether pulse pressure is an independent risk factor for coronary and stroke mortality in 3282 subjects (1281 males and 2001 females) aged +/- 65 years, taking part in the CArdiovascular STudy in the Elderly (CASTEL). After dividing subjects into tertiles of pulse pressure, adjusted relative risk (RR) and confidence intervals (CI) for 14-year coronary and stroke mortality was evaluated for each tertile. Among females, coronary mortality rate was 2.7% in the first tertile of pulse pressure, 4.7% in the second (RR 1.38, 95% CI [1.15-2.66]) and 6.2% in the third (RR 2, CI [1.20-3.51]). Stroke mortality was 3.6%, 4.1% (RR 1.23, CI [1.02-2.23]) and 8.3% (RR 2.27, CI [1.37-3.74]), respectively. This trend was recognizable in normotensive, borderline and sustained hypertensive women, where mortality increased with rising pulse pressure. No relationship was found between pulse pressure and mortality in males. In elderly women, pulse pressure was a good predictor of coronary and stroke mortality, even superior to the label of hypertension. No matter how any given pulse pressure level was obtained, it was more predictive of both coronary and cerebrovascular mortality than belonging to a normo- or hypertensive category.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia in infants and children: effectiveness of medical and non-medical treatment.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to identify, in children affected by permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia (PJRT), the effective treatment. METHODS: Seventeen children (9 males, 8 females, mean age 59 +/- 62 months, median 24) affected by PJRT were referred to our Institute between the years 1987 and 2000. RESULTS: Pharmacological therapy was successfully used in 14 patients: flecainide and propranolol in 5 of them, amiodarone alone in 5 and associated with propranolol in 2, propafenone alone in 1 and in association with sotalol in 1. These drugs were given for a mean period of 54.5 +/- 49.8 months with resolution of the cardiomyopathy in 7/7 patients. Treatment had been continued for 3-6 months and there were no side effects. Nine patients were treated with radiofrequency transcatheter ablation, after 78 +/- 53.5 months of medical treatment, at a mean age of 150 +/- 16 months. The shortest endocardial ventriculo-atrial (VA) interval during tachycardia was recorded in all cases at the coronary sinus ostium (mean value of local VA-surface RP' interval -38 ms, range -24/-55 ms). Successful ablation of the anomalous pathway was obtained at this site in all patients (mean watts delivered 26 +/- 3 W, mean T degrees 64 +/- 5 degrees C). During the follow-up period (mean 21 +/- 17 months) 2 patients with recurrences of PJRT underwent a second successful procedure. CONCLUSIONS: PJRT in pediatric patients can be successfully treated with antiarrhythmic drugs, this may allow delay of the highly effective radiofrequency ablation treatment until the children have reached an adequate growth.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Reproducibility of the six-minute walking test in chronic heart failure patients.

The six-minute walking test (WT) is used in trials and clinical practice as an easy tool to evaluate the functional capacity of chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. As WT measurements are highly variable both between and within individuals, this study aims at assessing the contribution of the different sources of variation and estimating the reproducibility of the test. A statistical model describing WT measurements as a function of fixed and random effects is proposed and its parameters estimated. We considered 202 stable CHF patients who performed two baseline WTs separated by a 30 minute rest; 49 of them repeated the two tests 3 months later (follow-up control). They had no changes in therapy or major clinical events. Another 31 subjects performed two baseline tests separated by 24 hours. Collected data were analysed using a mixed model methodology. There was no significant difference between measurements taken 30 minutes and 24 hours apart (p = 0.99). A trend effect of 17 (1.4) m (mean (SE)) was consistently found between duplicate tests (p < 0.001). REML estimates of variance components were: 5189 (674) for subject differences in the error-free value; 1280 (304) for subject differences in spontaneous clinical evolution between baseline and follow-up control, and 266 (23) for the within-subject error. Hence, the standard error of measurement was 16.3 m, namely 4 per cent of the average WT performance (403 m) in this sample. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.96. We conclude that WT measurements are characterized by good intrasubject reproducibility and excellent reliability. When follow-up studies > or = 3 months are performed, unpredictable changes in individual walking performance due to spontaneous clinical evolution are to be expected. Their clinical significance, however, is not known.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Cardiovascular mortality in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. A controlled study among 683 diabetics and 683 age- and sex-matched normal subjects.

Although non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is considered a major cause of death, the role of some independent risk factors in diabetic patients is under debate. In fact the prognosis of NIDDM diabetes varies considerably in relation to the individual risk pattern, and the different studies are not directly comparable because of differences in size, age and geography of the samples, and type of statistical analysis. The aim of the study is to identify the independent predictors of mortality in a cohort of subjects with NIDDM, and to verify whether the relative risk (RR) of cardiovascular mortality is different in comparison to that of coeval non-diabetic subjects from a general population. The study includes 683 patients with NIDDM from the Northern Italian town of Pordenone, followed up for 6 years and age- and sex-matched to 683 non-diabetic subjects from a Northern Italian general population. When the two cohorts were compared, NIDDM turned out to be a strong risk factor for cardiovascular mortality (RR: 2.67). Age, coronary artery disease (RR: 1.78), arterial hypertension (RR: 1.39), macro- (RR: 2.97) and microalbuminuria (RR: 2.01) were independent predictors of cardiovascular mortality in the diabetics. In conclusion, survival of diabetic patients is worse than that of non-diabetic coeval subjects. Only few items are able to predict cardiovascular mortality in the diabetics, namely age, hypertension, CAD, macro- and microalbuminuria.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Blood pressure and metabolic profile after surgical menopause: comparison with fertile and naturally-menopausal women.

In 1978 a random sample (367 men and 568 women aged 18-65 years) taken from the general population of a north-eastern Italian town was screened for cardiovascular risk; 16 years later, the women were invited to a second screening. Three groups were identified at the initial screening (fertile, naturally menopausal and surgically menopausal) and four in the longitudinal study (137 remained fertile during the whole study, 205 became naturally menopausal, 56 were ovariectomised and 127 were already going through the menopause). The protocol included a questionnaire, blood pressure (BP) measurement, and blood exams. Continuous variables were adjusted for confounders. Systolic BP, prevalence of hypertension, cholesterol, glycaemia and uricaemia were similar, whereas diastolic and triglycerides (TG) were lower in surgically-menopausal than in fertile women (P < 0.001). No significant difference in 16 years' variation from baseline was observed between the four groups, although women who remained fertile showed the smallest increases. In particular, neither systolic or diastolic BP increases differed between the women who were oophorectimised and those who remained fertile. 'Fertile status' was rejected from the logistic equation of incidence of hypertension, and 'age of menopause' was also rejected when this analysis was repeated in ovariectomised women. New coronary artery disease (angina pectoris or myocardial infarction) was observed in one ovariectomised woman, in three naturally menopausal, and in 13 already menopausal women which seemed to reflect the age trend. No new cases were observed in women who remained fertile. In conclusion, in Italian women surgical menopause, similarly to natural menopause, is devoid of any negative prognostic effect. Journal of Human Hypertension (2000) 14, 799-805

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Lack of association between carotid intima-media thickness and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene polymorphism or serum homocysteine in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

We assessed the contribution of the serum homocysteine (Hcy) level, an independent risk factor for vascular disease, and methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphism to the variability of intimal-medial thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery in middle-aged non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) subjects. One hundred thirty NIDDM patients (60 males and 70 females) with a mean age of 53 +/- 10 years and a mean diabetes duration of 11.3 +/- 7.9 years were enrolled for the study. Exclusion criteria included liver, heart, kidney, or other major-organ disease. Fasting total serum Hcy, folate, and vitamin B12 and clinical chemistry analyte levels were measured. MTHFR polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). IMT and plaques or stenosis in the common carotid were measured by ultrasonography. Serum Hcy was inversely correlated with vitamin levels and was slightly higher in subjects with the Val/Val genotype versus Ala/Val and Ala/Ala (P = .02); no differences in genotype were found in subjects with folate or vitamin B12 at or above the median level. In univariate analysis, common carotid IMT was significantly associated with age (P = .00001), the body mass index ([BMI] P = .0003), uric acid (P = .004), systolic blood pressure (P = .03), glycemia (P = .03), and total cholesterol (P = .04). No significant association was found between serum Hcy or MTHFR polymorphism and IMT. In multiple regression analysis, age (P = .0001), uric acid (P = .03), glycemia, and the BMI (P = .05) were independently associated with IMT and explained about 42% of IMT variability. In 130 NIDDM patients without nephropathy, basal levels of serum Hcy, as well as MTHFR polymorphism, did not predict significant changes in common carotid IMT.

Arteriosclerosis↗
PubMed2000

The 24-hour rhythm of blood pressure differs from that of leg hemodynamics in orthotopic heart transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: This study was aimed at investigating whether a circadian rhythm of peripheral resistance exists in patients with orthotopic cardiac transplantation (OCT) and whether it parallels that of blood pressure (BP). METHODS: BP and leg flow and resistance (plethysmography) were monitored for 24 hours in 13 denervated OCT recipients and 13 control patients with native heart, matched for casual blood pressure. RESULTS: On the basis of BP trend, control patients showed a BP reduction during sleep, whereas OCT recipients did not. Leg resistance was significantly lower and leg flow significantly higher during sleep than during waking in all patients, and the extent of the nocturnal decrease was similar in the two categories. CONCLUSIONS: The decrease in leg resistance in patients confined to bed for 24 hours is caused by peripheral mechanisms and does not depend on the autonomic control of the heart. The nocturnal decline in BP depends, on the contrary, on cardiac control and is lost in patients with denervated heart.

Adult↗