Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) News and Research

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Hypertension (or high blood pressure) is a condition where the pressure of the blood flowing through the arteries of the body is higher than it should be. Much like the pressure of the air in a tire, if the pressure of the blood is too high it can damage the arteries and organs of the body. Just like the tire, if the pressure suddenly becomes very high, catastrophic events can happen. Similarly, if the pressure remains somewhat elevated for a long enough period of time, premature wear and failure can occur.

Hypertension has its worst effects on the heart, kidneys, eyes, and brain. High blood pressure is a risk factor for heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, hemorrhages of the retina of the eye, and generalized atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries all over the body).

Post-term deliveries associated with increased short-term risks to newborns

While pregnancy is considered full-term at 40 weeks, only some 5 percent of women actually give birth on their predetermined due date. Most OBGYNs recommend more frequent and more vigilant monitoring after 40 weeks and sometimes the artificial induction of labor. But many pregnant women refuse induction due to the risk of stress to the fetus or increased likelihood of requiring a caesarean section.

20 Jan 2016

Study shows slow global progress on stillbirth prevention leaves over 2.6 million babies at risk each year

More than 2.6 million stillbirths continue to occur globally every year with very slow progress made to tackle this 'silent problem', according to new research published in The Lancet. Despite significant reductions in the number of maternal and child deaths, there has been little change in the number of stillbirths (in the third trimester of pregnancy) even though the majority are preventable.

20 Jan 2016

Arrhythmias worth treating in PAH patients

Supraventricular arrhythmias are common in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension but can be successfully managed with standard treatments, a study shows.

19 Jan 2016

Bevacizumab extends survival of pleural mesothelioma patients

Patients with unresectable, malignant pleural mesothelioma derive a significant survival benefit from the addition of bevacizumab to standard treatment according to phase III trial findings published in The Lancet.

19 Jan 2016

Selexipag reduces clinical events in PAH patients

Selexipag, alone or in combination with other classes of pulmonary arterial hypertension medication, reduced the composite rate of disease complications and deaths among patients in a phase III trial.

19 Jan 2016

Bradycardia does not increase cardiovascular disease risk

Bradycardia - a slower than normal heartbeat - does not increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to a study conducted by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The study is published in the Jan.19 online edition of the Journal of American Medical Association Internal Medicine.

19 Jan 2016

Text message reminders may help reduce people’s blood pressure

The study, of over 1300 adults with high blood pressure in the Cape Town area, compared text message reminders and interactive text messaging to a control group receiving standard care. The results appear online in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

19 Jan 2016

New sites opened across the South West for Alzheimer’s disease clinical trial

People with Alzheimer’s disease are helping with a ground-breaking government-funded trial but with new sites recently opened in the South West more people are being asked to take part in the study led by academics from the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Queen’s University Belfast and University College London, and hosted by North Bristol NHS Trust.

19 Jan 2016

New blood biomarkers could lead to better evaluation of treatment for patients with PAH

New blood biomarkers reflecting vasoreactivity in lung blood vessels of patients with heart- and lung disease, can lead to simplified diagnostics and better evaluation of treatment for patients with the condition pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

18 Jan 2016

Eating habits may influence sleep quality

A new study found that eating less fiber, more saturated fat and more sugar is associated with lighter, less restorative, and more disrupted sleep.

18 Jan 2016

Standardized treatment approach makes outpatient thyroid surgery a safe option for elderly patients

A standardized treatment approach that starts with good screening and ends with patients going home to well-prepared caregivers, means outpatient thyroid surgery is safe for the vast majority of patients, including the elderly and super-elderly, physician-scientists say.

13 Jan 2016

Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells act like sensor to orchestrate immune response

An uncommon and little-studied type of cell in the lungs has been found to act like a sensor, linking the pulmonary and central nervous systems to regulate immune response in reaction to environmental cues.

13 Jan 2016

NeuroSky develops cost-effective, secure medical monitoring solution to improve remote patient care

Leading brain-computer interface and healthcare sensor company NeuroSky has created a cost-effective and secure medical monitoring solution that could radically improve remote patient care for people with long term chronic illnesses.

12 Jan 2016

JINARC (tolvaptan) accepted for use in Scotland for ADPKD treatment

From today, people in Scotland with the genetic kidney disease ADPKD could benefit from JINARC® (tolvaptan) following advice issued by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) for its use in adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 1-3 at the start of treatment with evidence of rapidly progressing disease.

12 Jan 2016

New article suggests that playing American football may contribute to hypertension

As National Football League playoff games are underway, a new article published in the "Hypotheses" section of the January 2016 issue of The FASEB Journal, suggests that the toll the sport takes on players' bodies extends beyond head trauma and damage to limbs and joints. The trauma and damage associated with football participation may also be linked to elevations in blood pressure through immune system activation and inflammation.

12 Jan 2016

Higher-fat DASH diet significantly reduces blood pressure and triglycerides

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) dietary pattern, which is high in fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy foods, significantly lowers blood pressure as well as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

12 Jan 2016

Finding cost-effective ways of lowering blood pressure among adults living in rural Southeast Asia

Researchers from the Duke Global Health Institute and their international collaborators are launching a study to find cost-effective ways of lowering blood pressure in adults living in rural in South Asia.

11 Jan 2016

New blood test could predict women at higher risk of preeclampsia

The causes of preeclampsia, a multi-system disorder that affects women in pregnancy, have not been fully elucidated. The condition, which is typically associated with high blood pressure and an increased amount of protein in the urine, affects 2 to 5 percent of pregnant women, and is one of the main reasons for complications during the second half of pregnancy. Preeclampsia is frequently diagnosed too late and, in the most severe cases, can be fatal for both mother and child.

11 Jan 2016

Failure to accurately assess optic nerve drives IIH overdiagnosis

Researchers put overdiagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) down to inaccurate ophthalmoscopic examination in headache patients and wrongly suspecting the condition in young obese women with headaches.

7 Jan 2016

ISHLT issues new list of criteria to determine patient eligibility for heart transplant

To determine patient eligibility for heart transplant, the International Society for Heart Lung Transplantation maintains a list of criteria, first issued in 2006, that acts as a guideline for physicians.

7 Jan 2016