What is it about?
The vascular risk associated with hyperhomocysteinaemia has been shown to be stronger in hypertensive patients. We have shown for the first time in sub-Saharan Africa in a randomised double blind placebo controlled study that folic acid can reduce plasma homocysteine levels significantly over an 8 weeks adjunct therapy in hypertensive hyperhomocysteinaemic subjects however without translating to significant beneficial cardiovascular effect. Hyperhomocysteinaemia could not be accounted for by sub-optimal folate levels in Northern-Nigerians
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Why is it important?
Folate adjunct therapy is therefore not recommended as a bid to control blood pressure in adult Nigerian hypertensives, except in Nigerian pregnant women and sickle cell disease patients as recommended by the expert committee of Non Communicable Diseases; rather emphasis should be on anti-hypertensive drug adherence and lifestyle modification.
Perspectives
Africa is faced with the double burden of cardiovascular disease and infections. There is a worrisome trend of sub-optimal hypertension control even among those on medication, thereby driving and sustaining poor cardiovascular outcomes like stroke, heart failure and kidney failure with increased mortality. Therefore, it was interesting to determine whether simple, inexpensive, non-toxic, adjunct therapy of B-vitamins like folic acid could be recommended in treatment of hypertensive black Africans. This study was quite an elaborate one involving experts from several fields of Medicine inclusive of pharmacology and therapeutics, cardiovascular medicine, nursing sector, community and preventive medicine, laboratory and investigative medicine as well as community health. It was quite an intriguing and exciting 4 weekly follow-up study which required team spirit, financial sacrifices, close monitoring and counseling of a wealth of patients from several domains of an urban community. I hope you find this article thought-provoking.
DR OBIAGELI UZOAMAKA AGBOGU-IKE
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, NIGERIA
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: RANDOMISED DOUBLE-BLIND PLACEBO-CONTROLLED STUDY OF FOLIC ACID ADJUNCT FOR 8 WEEKS IN HYPERHOMOCYSTEINAEMIC HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS IN ZARIA, NIGERIA, Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics, September 2018, Society of Pharmaceutical Tecnocrats,
DOI: 10.22270/jddt.v8i5.1879.
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