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).

Low intake of dietary salt could be dangerous

Findings from a large, four-year study suggest that an inadequate amount of salt in the diet could increase the risk of poor cardiovascular outcomes and death.

14 Aug 2014

Researchers show effects of increased and decreased sodium intake on blood pressure

Two reports from a global collaborative study involving hundreds of investigators from 18 countries published today in the New England Journal of Medicine are shaking up conventional wisdom around salt consumption.

14 Aug 2014

Umeclidinium/vilanterol outperforms monotherapies in COPD

A combination of umeclidinium and vilanterol is more effective than each drug as monotherapy for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, research indicates.

13 Aug 2014

Measurement of respiratory rate is underutilized in diagnosis of pneumonia

Pneumonia - a severe lung infection - is the most common disease calling for hospital admission. More than one out of ten pneumonia patients die of the disease.

13 Aug 2014

Measure Up/Pressure Down campaign improves high blood pressure control in 205,000 patients

Medical groups participating in Measure Up/Pressure Down®, a national hypertension campaign, improved detection or control of high blood pressure for 205,000 Americans living with the disease in the first 12 months of the campaign, the American Medical Group Foundation (AMGF) announced today.

13 Aug 2014

Silicon Valley startup pitches self-insurance software

Collective Health says it can help employers save money with software that helps them pay workers' health costs directly. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Apple is preparing to roll out "HealthKit," a monitoring app, as part of the iPhone 6 this fall.

13 Aug 2014

Cochrane review finds little evidence to support use of sleep or wake drugs for shift workers

Shift workers are taking drugs to help them stay awake or get to sleep despite weak evidence for their benefit, according to a new Cochrane review.

12 Aug 2014

Almonds can help reduce inflammation in people with poorly controlled diabetes

Evidence continues to mount supporting the role of almonds and other tree nuts as part of an overall dietary pattern that is beneficial for those with type 2 diabetes. Three new studies suggest a relationship between regular consumption of tree nuts, such as almonds, and improvement in various markers of health in type 2 diabetes.

12 Aug 2014

Acidity sensor helps to estimate dynamics of insulin production

Many human metabolic functions only run smoothly if the acid level in the body remains neutral and stable. For humans, normal blood pH values lie between 7.35 and 7.45. By way of comparison, an empty stomach is extremely acidic, with a pH value of 1.5.

12 Aug 2014

Midlife hypertension link to later-life cognitive decline strengthened

Analysis of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study cohort supports an association between elevated blood pressure in midlife and increased cognitive decline in older age.

11 Aug 2014

Researchers discover cardiac molecule that could provide key to treating, preventing heart failure

Researchers have discovered a previously unknown cardiac molecule that could provide a key to treating, and preventing, heart failure.

11 Aug 2014

New disposable device may help doctors to monitor post-operative ileus

A disposal, plastic listening device that attaches to the abdomen may help doctors definitively determine which post-operative patients should be fed and which should not, an invention that may improve outcomes, decrease healthcare costs and shorten hospital stays, according to a UCLA study.

8 Aug 2014

Diabetes education reduces blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels

Diabetes education significantly improves outcomes among people with the condition, leading to reduced blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, according to data presented by the Diabetes Self-Management Education Program from New York-Presbyterian Hospital today at AADE14, the American Association of Diabetes Educators Annual Meeting & Exhibition.

8 Aug 2014

Weight loss improves physical health, but takes toll on mental health

Weight loss significantly improves physical health but effects on mental health are less straightforward, finds new UCL research funded by Cancer Research UK.

7 Aug 2014

First MinuteClinic walk-in medical clinics in Nebraska

The first MinuteClinic walk-in medical clinics in Nebraska are opening this week inside select CVS/pharmacy stores. Two clinics opened yesterday in Lincoln and one is opening today in Omaha. A third clinic in Lincoln and three more clinics in the Omaha area will open later this month.

7 Aug 2014

PSAL students to receive free comprehensive health screening at HSS

It's a parent's worst nightmare, and it happens out of the blue. While playing a sport, often football, a teen athlete collapses on the field and doesn't make it.

7 Aug 2014

Loss of sensation in the feet of diabetics may predict heart attack, stroke

Experts have discovered that loss of sensation in the feet, a result of diabetes, may be a predictor of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and strokes.

6 Aug 2014

Eating pistachios may reduce body's response to stresses among adults with diabetes

Among people with type 2 diabetes, eating pistachios may reduce the body's response to the stresses of everyday life, according to Penn State researchers.

6 Aug 2014

New treatment plan could reduce need for antihypertensive drugs

It truly could be mind over matter after all. University Hospitals Case Medical Center's Richard Josephson, MD, recently released trial results in a study published in Psychosomatic Medicine that discusses mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for hypertension.

5 Aug 2014

$5.8 million grant for coalition project to help reduce strokes and heart attacks in San Diego County

Approximately 84 million people in the United States suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease, and about 720,000 Americans have a heart attack every year, which works out to one every 44 seconds.

5 Aug 2014