Blood Pressure News and Research

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Blood Pressure is the force of circulating blood on the walls of the arteries. Blood pressure is taken using two measurements: systolic (measured when the heart beats, when blood pressure is at its highest) and diastolic (measured between heart beats, when blood pressure is at its lowest). Blood pressure is written with the systolic blood pressure first, followed by the diastolic blood pressure (for example 120/80).

Cascade of costs could push new gene therapy above $1 million per patient

Outrage over the high cost of cancer care has focused on skyrocketing drug prices, including the $475,000 price tag for the country's first gene therapy, Novartis' Kymriah, a leukemia treatment approved in August.

17 Oct 2017

Anti-hypertensive treatments do not restore microvascular function

Treatments for high blood pressure do not totally reverse its damaging effects on the vascular rhythms that help circulation of the blood say researchers.

16 Oct 2017

Researchers find significant increase in risk factors among people with stroke

Despite prevention efforts, researchers have found a significant increase over a 10-year period in the percentage of people with stroke who have high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and other risk factors for stroke.

12 Oct 2017

New project to seek answers for effects of alcohol on the nervous system

When a drink at the local watering hole turns into five or six, what are the effects on our brains and hearts? How does too much to drink affect how we sleep? How does binge drinking affect blood pressure for people who drink socially but not usually to excess? Do women's bodies process alcohol differently depending on stages of their menstrual cycles?

11 Oct 2017

Mitochondrial DNA copy number appears to be predictive of sudden cardiac death, heart attacks

Johns Hopkins researchers report that the level, or "copy number," of mitochondrial DNA--genetic information stored not in a cell's nucleus but in the body's energy-creating mitochondria--is a novel and distinct biomarker that is able to predict the risk of heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths a decade or more before they happen.

11 Oct 2017

New study demonstrates how traumatic experiences can affect vascular health

Today it seems about everything has been shown to lead to heart disease. Of course smoking is bad for you, as is high blood pressure. There's even mounting evidence that psychosocial factors can cause heart problems.

11 Oct 2017

Flexible sensors can measure rhythmic contractions of the digestive tract

Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital have built a flexible sensor that can be rolled up and swallowed. Upon ingestion, the sensor adheres to the stomach wall or intestinal lining, where it can measure the rhythmic contractions of the digestive tract.

10 Oct 2017

Scientists identify potential treatment target for diabetic retinopathy

In oxygen-compromising conditions like diabetes, the body grows new blood vessels to help, but the result is often leaky, dysfunctional vessels that make bad matters worse.

10 Oct 2017

Cardiovascular risk factors for married men linked to changes in relationship quality over time

The available research points to an association between marital status and health, but it's not clear whether this observed link is influenced by the health of people entering into marriage or the protective effects of the marriage itself.

10 Oct 2017

Implantable device receives FDA approval as treatment option for central sleep apnea

A device serving as a new treatment option for moderate to severe central sleep apnea has been approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

9 Oct 2017

FDA approves new treatment option for patients with moderate to severe central sleep apnea

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a new treatment option for patients who have been diagnosed with moderate to severe central sleep apnea.

9 Oct 2017

Change in epigenetic gene regulation by imprinting can trigger preeclampsia, study shows

Preeclampsia is the most dangerous form of hypertension during a pregnancy and can be fatal for both mother and child. Though it is known to originate in the placenta, the root causes remain largely a mystery.

6 Oct 2017

Study aims to improve early detection of atrial fibrillation

A new clinical study on the early detection of atrial fibrillation at home is starting at the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research. This cardiac arrhythmia is responsible for a quarter of all strokes and yet the risk of patients with atrial fibrillation having a stroke can be reduced by 70 percent if they take anticoagulants early enough.

6 Oct 2017

Study finds link between high blood lead levels and pre-eclampsia

More than a century since a Brisbane doctor found that lead in paint destroyed children’s lives, new research from Griffith University concludes that it is a major risk factor for pre-eclampsia.

6 Oct 2017

Multiple sensory losses predict morbidity and mortality in older adults

The five senses are hearing, vision, smell, touch, and taste. When these senses begin to dim or are lost as we age, we face challenges dealing with everyday life. Losing one's senses can also cause serious health problems.

4 Oct 2017

Study compares long-term metabolic effects of conventional and genetically-modified soybean oil

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have tested a genetically-modified (GM) soybean oil used in restaurants and found that while it induces less obesity and insulin resistance than conventional soybean oil, its effects on diabetes and fatty liver are similar to those of conventional soybean oil.

4 Oct 2017

Women with high blood pressure in their 40s may more likely develop dementia later

Women who develop high blood pressure in their 40s may be more likely to develop dementia years later, according to a study published in the October 4, 2017, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Oct 2017

Beetroot juice does not re-warm the body after exposure to cold

In people at higher risk of feeling the cold, and contrary to what scientists thought, beetroot juice doesn't appear to help re-warm the body after exposure to the cold, according to new research.

4 Oct 2017

Scientists unravel mechanism that links gut bacteria to hypertension

One in three American adults suffers from high blood pressure, or hypertension. The disease can be passed down in families, and certain lifestyle factors such as smoking, high-sodium diets, and stress can increase the risk.

3 Oct 2017

Skipping breakfast may increase the risk of atherosclerosis, study finds

A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology indicated that skipping breakfast is linked with an augmented risk of atherosclerosis — a condition where the arteries are narrowed or hardened because of the building up of plague.

3 Oct 2017