Treinamento Físico Aeróbico como Tratamento não Farmacológico da Síncope Neurocardiogênica

Fundamento: Caracterizada por perda súbita e transitória da consciência e do tônus postural, com recuperação rápida e espontânea, a síncope é causada por uma redução aguda da pressão arterial sistêmica e, por conseguinte, do fluxo sanguíneo cerebral. Os resultados insatisfatórios com o uso de fármacos permitiu que o tratamento não farmacológico da síncope neurocardiogênica fosse contemplado como primeira opção terapêutica. Objetivos: Comparar, em pacientes com síncope neurocardiogênica, o impacto do Treinamento Físico Aeróbico (TFA) de moderada intensidade e de uma intervenção controle, na positividade do Teste de Inclinação Passiva (TIP) e no tempo de tolerância ortostática. Métodos: Foram estudados 21 pacientes com história de síncope neurocardiogênica recorrente e TIP positivo. Esses foram aleatorizados em: Grupo Treinado (GT), n = 11, e Grupo Controle (GC), n = 10. O GT foi submetido a 12 semanas de TFA supervisionado, em cicloergômetro, e o GC, a um procedimento controle que consistia na realização de 15 minutos de alongamentos e 15 minutos de caminhada leve. Resultados: O GT apresentou efeito positivo ao treinamento físico, com aumento significativo do consumo de oxigênio-pico. Já o GC não apresentou nenhuma mudança estatisticamente significante, antes e após a intervenção. Após o período de intervenção, 72,7% da amostra do GT apresentou resultado negativo ao TIP, não apresentando síncope na reavaliação. Conclusão: O programa de treinamento físico aeróbico supervisionado por 12 semanas foi capaz de reduzir o número de TIP positivos, assim como foi capaz de aumentar o tempo de tolerância na posição ortostática durante o teste após o período de intervenção.

Intervenções em Dieta e Pressão Arterial na América Latina - Revisão Sistemática e Meta-Análise

Fundamento: Pressão arterial elevada é o principal fator de risco para doenças cardiovasculares. Baixos índices de controle da pressão arterial em populações latino-americanas reforçam a necessidade de reunir evidências sobre terapias eficazes. Objetivo: Avaliar o efeito das intervenções de modificações de dietas sobre pressão arterial em populações latino-americanas. Métodos: Revisão sistemática. Foram pesquisadas diversas bases de dados (MEDLINE-PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, SciELO, LILACS e BVS) e realizada busca manual até abril de 2013. Foram incluídos estudos paralelos de intervenções em dieta em populações adultas da América Latina reportando pressão arterial (em mmHg) antes e após a intervenção. Resultados: Dos 405 estudos encontrados, 10 ensaios clínicos randomizados foram incluídos e divididos em 3 subgrupos, de acordo com a dieta proposta como intervenção. Houve redução não significativa da pressão arterial sistólica nos subgrupos de substituição mineral -4,82 (IC 95%: -11,36 a 1,73 mmHg) e padrões complexos -3,17 (IC 95%: -7,62 a 1,28 mmHg). Para a pressão arterial diastólica, com exceção do subgrupo de dietas hiperproteicas, todos os subgrupos apresentaram redução significativa, com -4,66 (IC 95%: -9,21 a -0,12 mmHg) e -4,55 (IC 95%: -7,04 a -2,06 mmHg) para substituição mineral e padrões complexos, respectivamente. Conclusão: A evidência disponível sobre os efeitos de alterações de dieta na pressão arterial em populações latino-americanas indica um efeito homogêneo, porém não significativo, para pressão arterial sistólica. Estudos maiores e com maior rigor metodológico são necessários para construção de evidência robusta.

Tai Chi Chuan for Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients with Coronary Arterial Disease

Background:Several studies have shown that Tai Chi Chuan can improve cardiac function in patients with heart disease.Objective:To conduct a systematic review of the literature to assess the effects of Tai Chi Chuan on cardiac rehabilitation for patients with coronary artery disease.Methods:We performed a search for studies published in English, Portuguese and Spanish in the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS and Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials. Data were extracted in a standardized manner by three independent investigators, who were responsible for assessing the methodological quality of the manuscripts.Results:The initial search found 201 studies that, after review of titles and abstracts, resulted in a selection of 12 manuscripts. They were fully analyzed and of these, nine were excluded. As a final result, three randomized controlled trials remained. The studies analyzed in this systematic review included patients with a confirmed diagnosis of coronary artery disease, all were clinically stable and able to exercise. The three experiments had a control group that practiced structured exercise training or received counseling for exercise. Follow-up ranged from 2 to 12 months.Conclusion:Preliminary evidence suggests that Tai Chi Chuan can be an unconventional form of cardiac rehabilitation, being an adjunctive therapy in the treatment of patients with stable coronary artery disease. However, the methodological quality of the included articles and the small sample sizes clearly indicate that new randomized controlled trials are needed in this regard.

Elevated Blood Pressure and Obesity in Childhood: A Cross-Sectional Evaluation of 4,609 Schoolchildren

Background: The incidence of obesity in children is increasing worldwide, primarily in urbanized, high-income countries, and hypertension development is a detrimental effect of this phenomenon. Objective: In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated the prevalence of excess weight and its association with high blood pressure (BP) in schoolchildren. Methods: Here 4,609 male and female children, aged 6 to 11 years, from 24 public and private schools in Maringa, Brazil, were evaluated. Nutritional status was assessed by body mass index (BMI) according to cutoff points adjusted for sex and age. Blood pressure (BP) levels above 90th percentile for gender, age and height percentile were considered elevated. Results: The prevalence of excess weight among the schoolchildren was 24.5%; 16.9% were overweight, and 7.6% were obese. Sex and socioeconomic characteristics were not associated with elevated BP. In all age groups, systolic and diastolic BP correlated with BMI and waist and hip measurements, but not with waist-hip ratio. The prevalence of elevated BP was 11.2% in eutrophic children, 20.6% in overweight children [odds ratio (OR), 1.99; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.61-2.45], and 39.7% in obese children (OR, 5.4; 95% CI, 4.23-6.89). Conclusion: Obese and overweight children had a higher prevalence of elevated BP than normal-weight children. Our data confirm that the growing worldwide epidemic of excess weight and elevated BP in schoolchildren may also be ongoing in Brazil.

Impact of Intensive Physiotherapy on Cognitive Function after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Background: Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is a standard surgical option for patients with diffuse and significant arterial plaque. This procedure, however, is not free of postoperative complications, especially pulmonary and cognitive disorders. Objective: This study aimed at comparing the impact of two different physiotherapy treatment approaches on pulmonary and cognitive function of patients undergoing CABG. Methods: Neuropsychological and pulmonary function tests were applied, prior to and following CABG, to 39 patients randomized into two groups as follows: Group 1 (control) - 20 patients underwent one physiotherapy session daily; and Group 2 (intensive physiotherapy) - 19 patients underwent three physiotherapy sessions daily during the recovery phase at the hospital. Non-paired and paired Student t tests were used to compare continuous variables. Variables without normal distribution were compared between groups by using Mann-Whitney test, and, within the same group at different times, by using Wilcoxon test. The chi-square test assessed differences of categorical variables. Statistical tests with a p value ≤ 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Changes in pulmonary function were not significantly different between the groups. However, while Group 2 patients showed no decline in their neurocognitive function, Group 1 patients showed a decline in their cognitive functions (P ≤ 0.01). Conclusion: Those results highlight the importance of physiotherapy after CABG and support the implementation of multiple sessions per day, providing patients with better psychosocial conditions and less morbidity.

Impact of Light Salt Substitution for Regular Salt on Blood Pressure of Hypertensive Patients

Background: Studies have shown sodium restriction to have a beneficial effect on blood pressure (BP) of hypertensive patients. Objective: To evaluate the impact of light salt substitution for regular salt on BP of hypertensive patients. Methods: Uncontrolled hypertensive patients of both sexes, 20 to 65 years-old, on stable doses of antihypertensive drugs were randomized into Intervention Group (IG - receiving light salt) and Control Group (CG - receiving regular salt). Systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were analyzed by using casual BP measurements and Home Blood Pressure Monitoring (HBPM), and sodium and potassium excretion was assessed on 24-hour urine samples. The patients received 3 g of salt for daily consumption for 4 weeks. Results: The study evaluated 35 patients (65.7% women), 19 allocated to the IG and 16 to the CG. The mean age was 55.5 ± 7.4 years. Most participants had completed the Brazilian middle school (up to the 8th grade; n = 28; 80.0%), had a family income of up to US$ 600 (n = 17; 48.6%) and practiced regular physical activity (n = 19; 54.3%). Two patients (5.7%) were smokers and 40.0% consumed alcohol regularly (n = 14). The IG showed a significant reduction in both SBP and DBP on the casual measurements and HBPM (p < 0.05) and in sodium excretion (p = 0.016). The CG showed a significant reduction only in casual SBP (p = 0.032). Conclusions: The light salt substitution for regular salt significantly reduced BP of hypertensive patients.

Right Ventricular Doppler Echocardiographic Study of Indeterminate Form of Chagas Disease

Background: Patients with indeterminate form of Chagas disease/cardiac normality (ICD/CN) exhibited normal electrocardiograms and chest X-rays; however, more sophisticated tests detected some degree of morphological and functional changes in the heart. Objective: To assess the prevalence of systolic and diastolic dysfunction of the right ventricle (RV) in patients with ICD/CN. Methods: This was a case–control and prevalence study. Using Doppler two-dimensional echocardiography (2D), 92 patients were assessed and divided into two groups: group I (normal, n = 31) and group II (ICD/CN, n = 61). Results: The prevalence of RV systolic dysfunction in patients in groups I and II was as follows: fractional area change (0.0% versus 0.6%), mobility of the tricuspid annulus (0.0% versus 0.0%), and S-wave tissue Doppler (6.4% versus 26.0%, p = 0.016). The prevalence of global disorders such as the right myocardial performance index using tissue Doppler (16.1% versus 27.8%, p = 0.099) and pulsed Doppler (61.3% versus 68%, p = 0.141) and diastolic disorders such as abnormal relaxation (0.0% versus 6.0%), pseudonormal pattern (0.0% versus 0.0%), and restrictive pattern (0.0% versus 0.0%) was not statistically different between groups. Conclusion: The prevalence of RV systolic dysfunction was estimated to be 26% (S wave velocity compared with other variables), suggesting incipient changes in RV systolic function in the ICD/CN group.