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Biomedical subjects

J Stamler

Publications and source records attributed to J Stamler.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources

Hypertension in the elderly.

The available data indicate that classical hypertension, defined here as a diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 95 mm Hg, is a widely prevalent and as important a risk factor for the cardiovascular diseases in those aged 65 and over as it is in those under 65. The limited available data also indicate that pure systolic hypertension, defined here as a systolic blood pressure exceeding 160 mm Hg with a diastolic pressure under 95 mm Hg, also very common at age 65 and over, is also related to excess cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the elderly. However, it is not clear whether this latter relationship is indicative of cause and effect, or merely reflects the fact that in the elderly pure systolic hypertension is a sign of extensive sclerosis of large arteries. The results of Veterans Administration studies on antihypertensive therapy indicate that the elderly patient with classical hypertension is amenable to effective treatment, and that the benefits of such treatment significantly outweigh the risks. Great care is needed in the use of drugs for the management of hypertension in elderly patients, especially to minimize risk of hypotensive episodes and their possible harmful consequences; but with judicious and careful therapy, hypertension of this type can be controlled with reduction in excess risk of morbidity and mortality, at least for those with average diastolic pressures greater than or equal to 105 mm Hg. The lack of data on the benefits of treatment for those with pure systolic hypertension precludes any recommendations in regard to pharmacologic treatment of this condition.

Adult↗

Alcohol consumption, cardiovascular risk factors, and mortality in two Chicago epidemiologic studies.

Multivariate analysis of the association at baseline between problem drinking and cardiovascular risk factors among 1,233 white male employees of the Chicago Peoples Gas Company age 40-59 showed the 38 problem drinkers with significantly higher blood pressures and cigarette consumption and significantly lower relative weights than the others. Similar analysis among 1,899 white male employees of the Hawthorne Works of the Western Electric Company in Chicago age 40-55 showed the 117 men consuming 5 or more drinks per day with significantly higher blood pressures and cigarette use than the others. No significant differences were recorded between heavy drinkers and the others in serum cholesterol level. The gas company problem drinkers had significantly higher 15-year mortality rates from all causes, cardiovascular diseases, coronary heart disease, and sudden death. These differences could not be entirely explained by their blood pressure, smoking, and relative weight status. The Western Electric heavy drinkers had increased 10-year mortality rates both for all causes and noncardiovascular causes.

Adult↗

Plasma glucose levels: long-term effect of diet in the Chicago Coronary Prevention Evaluation Program.

In 150 middle-aged men prone to coronary disease, long-term data based on the Chicago Coronary Prevention Evaluation Program's diet showed that there was a favorable effect on fasting glycemia level and glucose tolerance. This diet for reducing obesity and hypercholesterolemia was low in cholesterol and saturated fat and moderate in polyunsaturated and total fat, with replacement of some fat by carbohydrate. At 2 years, decreased weight and serum cholesterol values of normoglycemic men were accompanied by a modest but significant fall in fasting and postload glycemia; at 4 years. fasting glycemia levels remained slightly below baseline. For men with suspect fasting hyperglycemia at baseline, sustained fall in weight and serum cholesterol value was associated with sizeable long-term reductions in fasting glycemia and improvement of glucose tolerance. Decrease in plasma glucose was significantly related to decrease in weight. No evidence of impairment of glucose tolerance with years-long consumption of this diet was recorded.

Blood Glucose↗

Hypertension screening of 1 million Americans. Community Hypertension Evaluation Clinic (CHEC) program, 1973 through 1975.

During 1973 through 1975, more than 1 million persons were screened in the nationwide Community Hypertension Evaluation Clinic (CHEC) program at 1,171 sites. While those screened were not from defined populations, findings paralleled those of recent surveys of US population samples. First, CHEC confirmed the scope of the problem of elevated blood pressure in the United States. Of those screened, 247 of 1,000 had a diastolic reading of 90 mm Hg or higher; 116 of 1,000 had a reading of 95 mm Hg or greater. Prevalence of elevated blood pressure rose with age up to age 50 years, was higher in blacks than in whites, and was higher in men than in women. Second, CHEC data confirmed the challenge of undetected, untreated, and uncontrolled hypertension. Previously undetected hypertension was present in 27.7% of hypertensive people, detected but untreated in 10.7%, and treated but uncontrolled in 16.7%--totaling 55.1%.

Adult↗

The relationship of education to blood pressure: findings on 40,000 employed Chicagoans.

The relationship of education to both actual blood pressure and the prevalence of high blood pressure, based on a systolic pressure of 160 mm Hg or greater or a diastolic pressure of 95 mm Hg or greater, was analyzed among 27,033 men and women, white and black, age 25-44 and 45-64, from the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry. The educational status of each individual was categorized as not a high school graduate, high school graduate, some college, or college graduate. A statistically significant inverse association between education and high blood pressure was present in all groups of whites. This association could not be "accounted for" by differences in age, relative weight, and heart rate among the educational strata. Controlling for these variables did, however, lessen the association. Among black males a significant inverse association between education level and blood pressure was found for the younger group. For the older black males there was a clear inverse association although with the small numbers it did not achieve statistical significance. For black females there was no clear association.

Adult↗

Epidemiologic findings on the relationship of time of day and time since last meal to glucose tolerance.

Data from 10,559 men and women, age 30-64, participating in the morning and afternoon in a Chicago Health Department multiphasic screening project, were used to determine the effects of time of day and time since last meal on the values for plasma glucose one and two hours following oral challenge with 100 gm. of glucose. Mean plasma glucose values and rates of suspect glucose intolerance (based on several cutpoints) were sizeably higher in the afternoon than in the morning. In addition, plasma glucose values increased with time elapsed since the last meal, up to 10 hours postprandially. Thereafter, both one- and two-hour plasma glucose values tended to exhibit a decline. Analysis of covariance confirmed that fluctuations in glucose tolerance were related to time of day and time since last meal, but the effects of each parameter were exerted independently.

Adult↗

Adherence and blood-pressure response to hypertension treatment.

2 years of experience in the first phase of a large cooperative national hypertension programme yielded data indicating that a good level of patient adherence can be achieved and that satisfactory blood-pressure control can be maintained long term. For 116 participants, all employed persons, dropout in the first year was 20% but only 3% dropped out in the second year. At the second annual examination, 82% of those still in the programme had diastolic pressures under 90 mm Hg, with an average reduction of 18 mm Hg. Thus, nearly two-thirds (64%) of all patients originally enrolled were both active and with normal levels of blood-pressure after two years. Only 18% of active programme-treated patients had diastolic pressure 90 mm Hg or higher at the second anniversary in contrast with 33% of patients referred to their own doctors. In programme-treated patients, standard medication was used; diuretics effectively lowered blood-pressure in a third of patients, and diuretics plus reserpine were effective for another 20%. Special features of the programme included assistance to physicians by health counsellor therapists. Methods for achieving a high adherence-rate and satisfactory blood-pressure control probably have wider applicability.

Adult↗

High blood-pressure: a risk factor for cancer mortality?

Univariate and multivariate analyses have been made of the relationship of systolic and diastolic blood-pressure measured at study entry to subsequent 14-year mortality among 1233 White males originally age 40-59 in 1958 from the Chicago Peoples Gas Company prospective study. With age, serum-cholesterol, and cigarettes per day controlled, both elevated systolic and electaed diastolic blood-pressure in 1958 were found to be strongly related to subsequent mortality from cancer in the men of this study. The possibility that this finding was due either to an association between antihypertensive medication in general, and cancer, or to an association was found that could explain the excess cancer mortality among those with elevated blood-pressure in 1958, either with medication in general, or with reserpine and rauwolfia in particular. These findings thus pose the question, is high blood-pressure associated with an increased risk of death due to cancer?

Adult↗