Wook Bum Pyun

The May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was conducted in South Korea in 2023 to raise awareness of raised blood pressure (BP). Adults aged ≥ 18 years were recruited through convenience sampling at 19 public health centres in Seoul, Busan City Hall, and public venues such as Seoul Plaza. Three seated BP readings were taken from each participant, and a questionnaire collected information on demographics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg or being on BP-lowering medication. Controlled BP was defined as being on BP-lowering medication with a BP <140/90 mmHg. Multiple imputation was used to estimate missing BP readings. In total, 2339 adults were screened, with a mean age of 60.8 years and 58.4% were female. Of all participants, 1157 (49.5%) had hypertension, of whom 831 (71.8%) were aware, and 784 (67.8%) were on antihypertensive medication. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 521 (66.5%) had controlled BP, and of all participants with hypertension, 45.0% had controlled BP. Significant age-related disparities were observed; awareness was critically low in young adults (27.3% in 18-29 years) compared to older adults (83.8% in ≥70 years). The MMM campaign in South Korea identified a substantial numbers of participants with untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. The campaign clearly highlighted the awareness gap among younger adults, underscoring the need for targeted strategies to engage this population for early detection.

Background: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a key predictor of cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between LVH and regional adipose tissue deposits, including visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), and sex-related differences in these correlations. Methods: A total of 416 individuals (median age 66 years, range 20–95), without structural heart disease or a history of hypertension and coronary artery disease, underwent echocardiography and abdominal computed tomography. Statistical analyses included logistic and linear regression to assess the associations between adipose tissue measures and LVH. Results: LVH was associated with older age, higher systolic blood pressure, and increased EAT thickness. EAT thickness was independently associated with LVH in women (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.03–1.44, p = 0.024) but not in men. Scatter plot analysis revealed a positive correlation between EAT and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) in women (r = 0.366, p < 0.001) and a negative correlation in men (r = −0.153, p = 0.038). Conclusions: VAT and SAT showed no significant associations with LVMI or LVH in either sex. These findings suggest that EAT, but not VAT or SAT, is linked to cardiac remodeling in a sex-specific manner.

Kim HJ, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2025 Mar;40:e117. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e117

Coffee is the most popular and widely consumed drink in the world. Coffee consumption seems to have both benefits and risk with respect to hypertension; results from studies evaluating effect of frequency of coffee consumption on risk of hypertension are mixed and inconsistent. Hence, we investigated the association of coffee consumption and hypertension in Korean adults. Data from Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2012–2016 was obtained and 12,133 eligible participants were selected. The coffee consumption was attained using a food frequency questionnaire. Subsequently coffee intake was grouped into two categories: ≤2 and > 2 servings per day. Hypertension status was defined as systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg, use of antihypertensive drug treatment, or both. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association of coffee consumption and hypertension. Logistic regression analysis showed that consumption of more than two servings of coffee a day was inversely associated with hypertension with odds ratio (OR) 0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73–0.99). Similar results were seen in the propensity score-matched analysis (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.69–0.98). Adults having age more than median value (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.65–0.89) and normal cholesterol (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.70–0.99) had significantly inverse association with hypertension, when coffee consumption was more than two servings daily. More than two servings of coffee intake per day was inversely associated with hypertension as compared to consumption of ≤ 2 servings coffee per day.

We compared the efficacy and safety of third‐standard‐dose triple and third‐standard‐dose dual antihypertensive combination therapies in patients with mild to moderate hypertension. This was a phase II multicenter, randomized, double‐blind, parallel‐group trial. After a 4‐week placebo run‐in period, 245 participants were randomized to the third‐dose triple combination (ALC group; amlodipine 1.67 mg + losartan potassium 16.67 mg + chlorthalidone 4.17 mg) or third‐dose dual combination (AL group; amlodipine 1.67 mg + losartan potassium 16.67 mg, LC group; losartan potassium 16.67 mg + chlorthalidone 4.17 mg, AC group; amlodipine 1.67 mg + chlorthalidone 4.17 mg) therapy groups and followed up for 8 weeks. The mean systolic blood pressure (BP) reduction was ‐18.3 ± 13.2, ‐13.0 ± 13.3, ‐16.3 ± 12.4, and ‐13.8 ± 13.2 mmHg in the ALC, AL, LC, and AC groups, respectively. The ALC group showed significant systolic BP reduction compared to the AL and AC groups at weeks 4 (P = .010 and P = .018, respectively) and 8 (P = .017 and P = .036, respectively). At week 4, the proportion of systolic BP responders was significantly higher in the ALC group (42.6%) than in the AL (22.0%), LC (23.3%), and AC (27.1%) groups (P = .013, P = .021, and P = .045, respectively). At week 8, the proportion of systolic and diastolic BP responders was significantly higher in the ALC group (59.7%) than in the AL (39.3%) and AC (42.4%) groups (P = .022 and P = .049, respectively) at week 8. Third‐standard‐dose triple antihypertensive combination therapy demonstrated early effective BP control compared to third‐standard‐dose dual combination therapies, without increasing adverse drug reactions in patients with mild‐to‐moderate hypertension.

Cho IJ, et al. J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2023 Mar;31:e23. https://doi.org/10.4250/jcvi.2023.0004

Cho IJ, et al. Int J Heart Fail. 2023 Jan;5(1):36-47. https://doi.org/10.36628/ijhf.2022.0029

This study examined the efficacy and safety of 3- versus 6-month DAPT in patients implanted with Coroflex ISAR polymer-free DESs. Original Contribution from Journal of Invasive Cardiology. Coronary artery disease Drug-eluting stents dual-antiplatelet therapy duration of therapy

Korean Circulation Journal 대한심장학회지 순환기 Kim DH, et al. Korean Circ J. 2022 Jun;52(6):460-474. https://doi.org/10.4070/kcj.2021.0330

Background/Aims: Although it is near concluded that renin-angiotensin system inhibitors do not have a harmful effect on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there is no report about whether angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) offer any protective role. This study aimed to compare the association of ARBs and ACEIs with COVID-19-related mortality. Methods: All patients with COVID-19 in Korea between January 19 and April 16, 2020 were enrolled. The association of ARBs and ACEIs with mortality within 60 days were evaluated. A comparison of hazard ratio (HR) was performed between COVID-19 patients and a retrospective cohort of pneumonia patients hospitalized in 2019 in Korea. Results: Among 10,448 COVID-19 patients, ARBs and ACEIs were prescribed in 1,231 (11.7%) and 57 (0.6%) patients, respectively. After adjusting for age, sex, and history of comorbidities, the ARB group showed neutral association (HR, 1.034; 95% CI, 0.765 to 1.399; p = 0.8270) and the ACEI groups showed no significant associations likely owing to the small population size (HR, 0.736; 95% CI, 0.314 to 1.726; p = 0.4810). When comparing HR between COVID-19 patients and a retrospective cohort of patients hospitalized with pneumonia in 2019, the trend of ACEIs showed similar benefits, whereas the protective effect of ARBs observed in the retrospective cohort was absent in COVID-19 patients. Meta-analyses showed significant positive correlation with survival of ACEIs, whereas a neutral association between ARBs and mortality. Conclusions: Although ARBs or ACEIs were not associated with fatal outcomes, potential beneficial effects of ARBs observed in pneumonia were attenuated in COVID-19.