Abreu D, et al. - After public health initiatives were implemented to reduce salt intake, authors evaluated trends in the prevalence of high blood pressure (HBP) seen in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients, as well as the trends in stroke and ACS in Portugal. Results suggest an impact of population-wide approaches on the prevention and improvement of CVD control, leading to a reduction in the number of CVD events, and eventually reduced premature death by CVD. In view of the greater restrictions being planned on salt intake in Portugal in the next years, assessing current trends and what further reductions can be expected is highly relevant.

Methods

• Researchers calculated the monthly proportion of ACS patients presenting with previously diagnosed HBP and the monthly rate of CVD admissions into public hospitals in Portugal.
• They stratified CVD rates into ACS rate and stroke rates, data were stratified by demographics variables.
• To assess changes over time, an interrupted time-series model was used.

Results

• As per data, an estimated breakpoint around the year 2013 for the prevalence of HBP patients was revealed in breakpoint analysis; the following year there was a decreasing trend, nonetheless it was not significant.
• The trend before 2013 was increasing and started to decrease after this yea.
• Findings suggested that this decreased in prevalence of HBP patients can be translated into a reduction of 555 people per year presenting with HBP in the ACS population.
• The trends for ACS and stroke were evaluated and the significance for a breakpoint tested in the year 2013.
• For ACS crude rates and stroke crude rate, none of the remaining trends were significant, a decreasing trend was observed