
Genetics of Hypertension and Its Intermediate Phenotypes
Cardiovascular DiseasesHypertensionTo define the underlying genetics of hypertension in an Asian population by studying intermediate phenotypes.

Secondary Pulmonary Hypertension in Adults With Sickle Cell Anemia
Pulmonary HypertensionSickle Cell Anemia1 moreThe purpose of this study is to determine how often people with sickle cell anemia develop pulmonary hypertension a serious disease in which blood pressure in the artery to the lungs is elevated. Men and women 18 years of age and older with sickle cell anemia may be eligible for this study. Participants will undergo an evaluation at Howard University s Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center in Washington, D.C. or at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. It will include the following: medical history physical examination blood collection (no more than 50 ml., or about 1/3 cup) to confirm the diagnosis of sickle cell anemia, sickle cell trait or beta-thalassemia (Some blood will be stored for future research testing on sickle cell anemia.) echocardiogram (ultrasound test of the heart) to check the pumping action of the heart and the rate at which blood travels through the tricuspid valve. Following this evaluation, a study nurse will contact participants twice a month for 2 months and then once every 3 months for the next 3 years for a telephone interview. The interview will include questions about general health and recent health-related events, such as hospitalizations or emergency room visits.

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Patients With Direct-Acting Antiviral Medications for Hepatitis...
Pulmonary Artery HypertensionChronic Hepatitis cThe purpose of this study is the evaluation of PAH in patients, who are treated with DAA medication for HCV infection.

The Construction of Precision Medicine in Chinese Medicine
Hypertension"Precise medicine" is also called "personal medicine". With the development of big data database, genetic testing and artificial intelligence, the concept of precision medicine has been applied to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of different diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has traditionally emphasis on personalized medicine, according to each person's body constitution, through discriminatory treatment and personalized treatment methods. Chinese medicine doctors collect patients' information to distinguish the type of TCM pattern, and then according to the different types of diagnosis of traditional Chinese medicine to decide of using herbs, acupuncture, massage and other treatment strategies. However, lacking of objective data of traditional Chinese medicine, the current research on precision medicine in Chinese medicine is still limited. The aim of this study is to establish a big database of traditional Chinese precision medicine, and use the patients with hypertension as the population to conduct research on precision medicine in Chinese medicine.This study will combine the TCM body constitutional questionnaire, tongue diagnosis, pulse diagnosis, Chinese medicine immunoassay and genetic testing. In addition, the information providing by the medical electronic medical record system of China Medical University Hospital will be connected, which include modern medical diagnosis, treatment, blood and biochemical analysis and imaging. We will combine the big data analysis and artificial intelligence interpretation technology to explore the correlation between different TCM syndrome types and gene variations in patients with hypertension and establish a database of TCM precision medicine. We will also conduct the education training and symposium to train TCM precision medical talents and promote public understanding of TCM precision medicine. This project will establish a database of traditional Chinese medicine precision medicine to provide the correlation between different TCM pattern types of patients with hypertension, the reaction to different herbal medicine, and gene mutation, and provide reference for TCM clinicians.

Evaluation of the Effect of an APP in Improving Treatment Adherence in Hypertensive Patients in...
Blood PressureAdhesionBrief Summary: Through the App, the user will have the opportunity to connect directly with the health professional, clarify doubts and manage the treatment of their hypertension.

Online Trial Examining Validity and Reliability of the Shared Decision Making Process Survey
High CholesterolHigh Blood Pressure3 moreThe purpose of this study is to survey a sample of adults who have recently made a decision about treatment of high cholesterol or high blood pressure or a decision about screening for colorectal cancer, breast cancer, or prostate cancer. The main goal is to gather evidence of the validity and reliability of the Shared Decision Making Process scale. Secondary goal is to gather evidence on the quality of decisions for these common medical situations.

The Prevalence of Pulmonary Hypertension in Patients With COVID-19.
HypertensionPulmonary2 moreThe virus infection Covid-19 fills our hospitals and intensive care departments in a very unique way and there is a lack of essential insight into the pathophysiology of the disease. As a result, very specific treatment options are missing. The US Medicines Agency (FDA) has in the last days given a general license for treatment with inhaled nitric oxide (iNO). Inhaled NO in Sweden (and Europe) is approved for the indication of pulmonary hypertension in adults. However, no one has yet described the occurrence of pulmonary hypertension, with or without right ventricular loading, in the Covid-19 patients who become so seriously ill that they need to be treated at an IVA ward. Knowledge of this is, of course, a prerequisite for determining the need for pulmonary artery catheterization (PA catheter, Swan-Ganz catheter) and also to better understand whether iNO treatment or other forms of lung selective vasodilation therapy may be of benefit to this patient group.

Hypertension Management Using Remote Patient Monitoring: Study 2
HypertensionThe investigators will conduct a pragmatic pilot test of a remote patient monitoring system (RPM) for blood pressure measurement for Medicare patients with hypertension with and without the support of a care management program. The primary objective is to better understand how patients' remote monitoring of blood pressure and the direct transmission of this data to a healthcare system's EHR can be used by the patient and the care team to support optimal hypertension care and whether the addition of active care management increases the use of RPM and improvements in blood pressure. This pilot study will be conducted in four Northwestern Medical Group (NMG) primary care practices. Two practices will have RPM available for primary care physicians to order for their eligible Medicare patients and two practices will also receive the support of a care management program to assist with patient enrollment, blood pressure monitoring and taking action in the setting of uncontrolled blood pressure. The investigators will conduct a pragmatic non-blinded, non-randomized pilot study with contemporaneous controls among NMG outpatient clinics that provide adult primary care. They will make comparisons of data obtained through the course of routine care delivery from pilot and non-pilot practices.

Predicting Reduction of Hypertension After Adrenalectomy for Primary Aldosteronism: a Multicenter...
Primary Aldosteronism Due to Aldosterone Producing AdenomaPrimary Aldosteronism1 morePrimary aldosteronism (PA) is the excessive endogenous production of the mineralocorticoid aldosterone. Although various rare forms of PA exist, the vast majority of cases are accounted by either an aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) or bilateral adrenal hyperplasia. During the last decades the prevalence of PA has risen, predominantly due to better awareness of disease. Several studies estimated a prevalence of PA up to 17% in an unselected population of hypertensive patients. However, in a population with resistant hypertension the reported prevalence is even higher: 17-23%. This emphasizes the clinical impact of PA on morbidity and mortality due to high blood pressure. Since both hypertension and aldosteronism are independent risk factors for cardiovascular morbidity, the aim of treatment is curation or reduction of both. After an adrenalectomy for APA normalization of biochemical abnormalities is achieved in almost all cases. Nevertheless, curation of hypertension (systolic blood pressure <140 and diastolic blood pressure <90 mmHg) without the need of antihypertensive medication is accomplished in only 35-45% of the cases. In 2008 the Aldosteronoma Resolution Score (ARS) was developed. This score predicts the likelihood of complete resolution of the hypertension in patients with an aldosteronoma and has been validated by other investigator groups. Reduction of hypertension is also an important clinical outcome and is reported in 90-98% of the patients after surgery. In most studies reduction is defined as a certain decrease in blood pressure or antihypertensive medication. However, there is no consensus on the precise definition of reduction in these patients, which leads to incomparable results. The aim of the proposed study is to determine the proportion of patients with clinically relevant reduction of hypertension after adrenalectomy in a large cohort. Furthermore, the investigators aim to determine the characteristics predicting this clinically relevant reduction. Additionally, the investigators evaluate the predictive value of the Aldosteronoma Resolution Score for clinically relevant reduction and aim to develop a scoring system to help clinicians predict the likelihood of reduction of hypertension after adrenalectomy so it can be used for patient counseling.

Does Early Weight Loss Following Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Affect Long-term Outcomes
HypertensionDiabetes Mellitus4 moreA study to explore the relationship between early weight loss in the 4 weeks following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and outcomes, in terms of weight loss and comorbidity improvement, 7 years following the surgery.