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(Hypertension. 2007;49:939.)
© 2007 American Heart Association, Inc.

Editorial

World Hypertension Day 2007

From the Center for Excellence in Cardiovascular Renal Research, Departments of Physiology and Biophysics and Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson.

Correspondence to Daniel W. Jones, School of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State St, Jackson, MS 39216-4505. E-mail djones@ovc.umsmed.edu

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

The World Hypertension League is encouraging all of us to focus our attention on hypertension through designation of May 17, 2007, as "World Hypertension Day."¹ Most of the readers of Hypertension will pay more attention to this encouragement than the average person. But, even many of us who focus much of our life on patient care or research related to hypertension need to pause and consider the importance of this often underappreciated risk factor for cardiovascular disease and kidney disease.

The recent results of a study of a drug used for treatment of lipid disorders have refocused our thoughts on the importance of hypertension as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Torcetrapib, a potent inhibitor of cholesteryl ester transfer protein that raises high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lowers low-density lipoprotein cholesterol has been in development for several years. Early studies were quite promising. They demonstrated substantial increases in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and modest decreases in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. There was great optimism in the cardiovascular medicine community for this new tool.

Early findings of mild increases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure with the drug were not considered by most to be a major problem, because the increase was only 3 to 4 mm Hg in systolic pressure.² But in December 2006, a major study of the drug was stopped by the data safety monitoring board because of an increased rate of death from cardiovascular events in patients treated with this drug. Within hours, the company developing the drug . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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