Blood Pressure News and Research

RSS

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).

Harvard's Wyss Institute completes first clinical study of new rapid neuroassessment device

Doctors routinely track their patients' hand-eye coordination to monitor any neuromuscular deficits, particularly as patients age or when they are injured -- but the tests they have been using to track this kind of information may be subjective and qualitative.

10 Feb 2013

LPA genetic variant increases risk of heart valve calcification

Researchers have found a genetic variant that doubles the likelihood that people will have calcium deposits on their aortic valve. Such calcification, if it becomes severe, can cause narrowing or a blockage of the aortic valve, a condition called aortic stenosis.

9 Feb 2013

Metabolic syndrome risk factors prevalent in bipolar disorder

People who have bipolar disorder are at a high risk for developing the metabolic syndrome and related cardiovascular disorders, say researchers.

8 Feb 2013

Higher arm reading ‘overestimates true BP’

Using the higher of left and right arm single blood pressure readings taken sequentially leads to an overestimation of patients’ “true” level as determined by ambulatory monitoring, UK researchers warn.

8 Feb 2013

Study: 10 to 15% of people with TIAs will experience strokes within three months

Each year, as many as 500,000 Americans experience mini strokes called transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). Symptoms quickly go away, usually within an hour, and many people don't seek treatment. But 10 to 15 percent of people who experience TIAs will experience full-blown strokes within three months, and 40 percent of these strokes will occur in the first 24 hours, according to an article by three Loyola University Medical Center neurologists in the journal Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics.

6 Feb 2013

Ramipril puts spring in step of patients with intermittent claudication

Six months of treatment with the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor ramipril produces notable improvements in the walking ability of patients with peripheral artery disease and intermittent claudication, shows a large randomized trial.

6 Feb 2013

Donor liver quality: an interview with Dr Eric Orman

Liver transplantation is a surgical procedure in which a liver (or part of a liver) is removed from a donor and placed into a recipient. Although some transplants use a portion of the liver of living donors, the vast majority of donors are deceased.

6 Feb 2013

Patients undergoing major vascular surgery procedures are at increased risk of stroke

Patients undergoing major vascular surgery procedures are at increased risk of stroke, leading to a high mortality rate and prolonged hospitalization, according to a study in the February issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

6 Feb 2013

Teva initiates enrollment in AZILECT Phase IV clinical study for PD-MCI

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today enrollment of the first patient in the MODERATO study - a Phase IV clinical study designed to evaluate the effect of AZILECT (rasagiline tablets) on cognitive function in adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Parkinson's disease (PD-MCI).

6 Feb 2013

GLP-1 receptor agonists associated with reduced BMI in adolescents with severe obesity

Preliminary evidence from a clinical trial suggests that treatment with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists was associated with reduced body mass index and body weight in adolescents with severe obesity, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication.

5 Feb 2013

Glycemic control low priority in diabetes CVD prevention

Maintaining glycemic control does not reduce the likelihood for cardiovascular disease leading to hospitalization in people with Type 2 diabetes, report US researchers.

4 Feb 2013

Scientists receive honorary doctorate for research on Alzheimer's disease

On Monday 4 February, Dennis J. Selkoe and five other "brain teasers" will receive an honorary doctorate from the KU Leuven. The promoters for this honorary doctorate - VIB-KU Leuven professors Bart De Strooper and Wim Robberecht - will honor Dennis J. Selkoe for his scientific insights, but also for his relentless search for new medicines to treat Alzheimer's Disease and other conditions that cause severe damage in the brain.

4 Feb 2013

Women still underestimate the seriousness of heart disease

Although heart disease remains the No. 1 killer nationally for women-—responsible for one out of every three deaths—-many of today's women still underestimate the seriousness of the disease and their risks, says Liliana Cohen, MD, a board-certified cardiologist with The Robert Wood Johnson Medical Group.

4 Feb 2013

Family history one of the strongest predictors of heart disease

Sherron Simmons lived her life as the picture of good health: she exercised regularly, ate healthy and did not smoke. That is why it was a shock for her to learn in 2007 that the main left artery to her heart was 90 percent blocked.

1 Feb 2013

Study expands and deepens biological and genetic links between CVD and schizophrenia

A new study, to be published in the Feb. 7, 2013 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, expands and deepens the biological and genetic links between cardiovascular disease and schizophrenia. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of premature death among schizophrenia patients, who die from heart and blood vessel disorders at a rate double that of persons without the mental disorder.

1 Feb 2013

Adults should consume less than 5 g of salt and at least 3,510 mg of potassium per day: WHO

Adults should consume less than 2,000 mg of sodium, or 5 grams of salt, and at least 3,510 mg of potassium per day, according to new guidelines issued by the WHO. A person with either elevated sodium levels and low potassium levels could be at risk of raised blood pressure which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.

31 Jan 2013

Hypertensive pregnancies need rigorous follow up

Women who have hypertensive complications during pregnancy are at increased risk for developing chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease, shows a study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

31 Jan 2013

Increasing age, male sex and adiposity risk factors for metabolic syndrome in children

Metabolic syndrome is more likely to affect children who are obese than overweight or non-overweight and who have other characteristics associated with the disorder, such as high blood pressure or insulin resistance. A new comprehensive and systematic review of the medical literature on metabolic syndrome in children that probed deeper to evaluate the risk associated with gender, ethnicity, and geography was published in Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

31 Jan 2013

Mayo Clinic cardiologists offer simple tips to reduce risk of heart disease

February is American Heart Month, a perfect time to remind people that small steps can reduce their risk of heart disease, the No. 1 killer of men and women. Mayo Clinic cardiologists offer several simple tips to reduce the risk.

31 Jan 2013

Coming out might offer health benefits for lesbians, gays and bisexuals

Lesbians, gays and bisexuals (LGBs) who are out to others have lower stress hormone levels and fewer symptoms of anxiety, depression, and burnout, according to researchers at the Centre for Studies on Human Stress (CSHS) at Louis H. Lafontaine Hospital, affiliated with the University of Montreal.

30 Jan 2013