Characteristics of the Chinese subjects entered the hypertension in the very elderly trial.
BACKGROUND
The baseline characteristics of patients in a multinational trial are possibly related to cardiovascular outcome. This study compared the baseline characteristics of patients recruited in China with those recruited in other countries.


METHODS
A total of 508 Chinese hypertensive men and 728 women over the age of 80 years who entered the Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial (HYVET) were compared with those in 860 men and 1348 women who entered the trial in other countries.


RESULTS
The Chinese subjects were slightly younger, had less previous hypertension but more previous strokes than the subjects from other countries. The Chinese subjects smoked more than those from other countries, but drank less alcohol. They had less previous episodes of myocardial infarction and were, on average, lighter and shorter. The Chinese had lower mean concentrations of blood urea, uric acid and creatinine as well as higher concentrations of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. The concentration of total cholesterol was, on average, lower in the Chinese subjects as was blood glucose. The levels of serum sodium and potassium, blood hematocrit and hemoglobin were all, on average, lower in the Chinese subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Calorie restriction, compared with the rest of the world, may have resulted in lower stature and weight, and recent increases in calorie intake have not changed the metabolic profile of the very elderly hypertensive patients in China. Some of these biochemical differences may reflect different dietary lifestyle in the Chinese.
Liu
Li-sheng
LS
Beijing Hypertension League Institute, Beijing 100039, China.
Wang
Ji-guang
JG
Shu-Ping
Ma
M
Wang
Wen
W
Lu
Fang-hong
FH
Zhang
Liang-qing
LQ
Banya
Winston
W
Peters
Ruth
R
Beckett
Nigel
N
Fletcher
Astrid
A
Bulpitt
Christopher J
CJ
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male