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Background and Aims Hypertension (HTN) and psychiatric disorders frequently co-exist in general population. Serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitors (SNRIs) affect serotonin and norepinephrine and may lead to variation in blood pressure (BP). There is paucity of data on blood pressure variations using 24 hours ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) with the use of SSRIs/NSRIs. Method Subjects who underwent psychiatric evaluation and ABPM within six month of each other between 1/1/2012 to 12/31/2016 at Mayo Clinic Florida were identified using billing data. Demographics, co-morbidities, medications, ABPM, and laboratory results were retrospectively collected from medical records. Subjects were divided into groups – subjects with no psychiatric diagnosis and no psychiatric medicine (Group 1) and subjects with psychiatric diagnosis and on SSRIs/NSRIs (Group 2). BP systolic and diastolic levels (day time, night time) were compared between groups controlling for age, sex, race, presence or absence of HTN, diabetes mellitus (DM) and smoking. Single and multivariable linear regression models were used to analyze group differences. Results Total of 367 subjects met inclusion criteria – Group 1=135; Group 2=232. The subjects in group 2 were older (median age 57 yrs vs 47 yrs p<0.001), white (69.8 vs 60% p=0.002), smokers (15.9 vs 3.0% p<0.001), history of HTN (62.5 vs 9.6%), and DM (21.1% vs 0%). ABPM showed that subjects in group 2 had higher median daytime systolic BP (131 vs 124), higher median night time systolic BP (120 vs 110), and higher median night time diastolic BP (68 vs 63). Multivariable linear regression controlling for age, sex, race, presence or absence of HTN, DM, and smoking showed that use of SSRIs/NSRIs (group 2) was significantly associated with higher night time systolic BP (8.36 mm; 95% CI 4.2, 12.5; p <0.0001) and higher night time diastolic BP (4.6 mm, 95% CI 1.9, 7.29, p=0.001). On subgroup analysis comparing subjects with use of SSRIs vs NSRIs, there was no statistically significant difference in the daytime or night time systolic or diastolic BP. Conclusion Use of SSRIs and NSRIs are associated with higher nocturnal systolic and diastolic BP, which can potentially increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcome in this population. Higher nocturnal BP may be due to ongoing sympathetic activation during sleep with serotonin and norepinephrine with the use of SRRIs and NSRI. Further well designed prospective studies using ABPM are needed to determine the risk of nocturnal hypertension with the use of SSRIs/NSRIs that could have potential adverse cardiovascular outcome.

Introduction Hypertension (HTN) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease; therefore, it is imperative to risk stratify potential kidney donors during evaluation. Clinic blood pressure (CBP) measurement is inaccurate in assessing presence or absence of HTN. There is paucity of data about utility of 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) during kidney donor evaluation. Methods 24-h ABPM is performed on all kidney donors at Mayo Clinic Florida. We conducted retrospective review of 264 consecutive potential kidney donors from 1/1/2012 to 12/31/2017. Demographic, comorbid conditions, laboratory results and 24-h ABPM data were collected. Subjects were divided into two groups: Group1: Subjects with no prior history of HTN and new diagnosis of HTN using 24-h ABPM; Group 2: Subjects with no prior history of hypertension and normal BP on 24-h ABPM. Results Baseline demographic included mean age 46.40 years, 39% males, 78.4% Caucasians, and mean BMI was 26.94. Twenty one subjects (8.0%) had prior diagnosis of HTN. Among 243 subjects without prior HTN, 62 (25.5%) were newly diagnosed with HTN using 24-h ABPM. CBP was high only in 27 out of 62 (43.6%) of newly diagnosed HTN subjects. Thirty-five subjects (14.4%) had masked HTN and 14 subjects (5.8%) had white-coat HTN. Newly diagnosed hypertensive subjects were more likely to be males as compared to Group 2 (53.2% vs 34.3% P = 0.008). There was a trend of more non-Caucasians subjects (30.6% vs 19.9% P = 0.08) and more active smokers (17.7% vs 11.6%, P = 0.054) in Group1 as compared to Group 2. Only 17 (27.4%) out of 62 newly diagnosed hypertensive subjects were deemed suitable for kidney donation as compared to 105 (58.0%) out of 181 normotensive subjects (P < 0.001). Conclusion In our cohort, use of ABPM resulted in new diagnosis of HTN in 1 out of 4 potential kidney donors. Newly diagnosed HTN was more common in men, those with non-Caucasian race, and in active smokers. There was a significantly reduced acceptance rate for kidney donation among newly diagnosed HTN subjects. Further studies are needed to determine the value of 24-h ABPM among these high risk groups.

Background: The study aimed to assess the frequency and impact of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on behavior, social-emotional development, intelligence, and overall quality of life among school-aged children with congenital heart diseases (CHD). Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) between July 2021 to August 2021. A total of 100 CHD patients aged 6 to 18 were assessed using the non-probability purposive sampling technique. The data was collected using a questionnaire comprising SNAP-IV 26 Scale that is a screening tool for ADHD. The collected data was entered and analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) v 24.0. The statistical analysis was carried out with a confidence interval set at 95% and no p-value was determined as a threshold of statistical significance, owing to the qualitative nature of the data. Result: The study comprises n=100 CHD patients, aged 6 to 18 with the mean age ± standard deviation of 11.18 ± 3.914, and males and females stratifiable into 56% and 44% respectively. The ADHD screening identified n=22 (22%) subjects as highly suspected of having ADHD with no statistically significant gender difference (n=10 females vs. n=12 males). The study revealed Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) to be the most common (28%) congenital heart defect across the in-patient and out-patient settings. VSD is followed by Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) at 24%, Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) at 22%, Atrioventricular Septal Defect (AVSD) at 19%, and Aortic Stenosis (AS) in 7% of the patients. Out of the 25% facing comorbidities, hypertension dominated the subset of 23%. Conclusion: This study suggests that children with CHD are at an increased risk of developing ADHD, the hyperactive and the combined subtype in particular, compared to the healthy population. About 22 percent of the subjects manifested a typical clinical picture of an ADHD patient with mostly living a ‘somewhat difficult’ life. Keywords: Children, Congenital Heart Disease, CHD, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD, Ventricular Septal Defect, VSD, Atrial Septal Defect, ASD