Top in cardiology: BP control in US, colchicine use and MI

Research presented at the virtual American Heart Association Hypertension Scientific Session showed that BP control dropped more than 11% in the United States from 2013 to 2018. It was the top story in cardiology last week.

Another top story was about data presented at the virtual European Society of Cardiology Congress that showed early use of colchicine was beneficial in hospitalized patients with MI.

Read these and more top stories in cardiology below:

BP control in US dropped more than 11% from 2013 to 2018

Between 2013 and 2018, the number of patients with hypertension who had their BP under control dropped more than 11%, researchers reported. Read more.

COLCOT: Early use of colchicine beneficial after MI

In a substudy of the COLCOT trial, patients with MI benefited the most from colchicine if it was initiated early in their hospital stay. Read more.

Intensive BP-lowering treatment does not raise risk for orthostatic hypotension

An intensive BP-lowering strategy did not increase the risk for extreme drops in BP and should not be avoided due to preexisting orthostatic hypotension, researchers reported. Read more.

Assessing for myocarditis may clarify whether athletes can return to sports after COVID-19

Cardiac MRI may help assess the risk for myocarditis in athletes recovering from COVID-19 to determine whether it is safe to participate in competitive sports, researchers found. Read more.

Hypertension may affect outcomes in COVID-19

The most prevalent comorbidity in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 was hypertension, which was also a risk factor for acute kidney injury in the ED and mortality in these patients, researchers found in two separate studies. Read more.