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).

Weight-loss surgery minimizes use of medicines in people with obesity

Patients with obesity take significantly fewer medications after weight-loss surgery than their non-surgical counterparts, and end up spending 22.4 percent less on drugs for diabetes and heart disease after four years, according to new research.

6 Nov 2014

Medical illness common in bipolar disorder

Patients with bipolar disorder have high rates of medical illness, which often exceeds the levels observed in patients with unipolar depression, show results of a UK-based study.

5 Nov 2014

Modern bariatric surgery can cut medications in obesity patients

5 Nov 2014

Study shows that 140 million American adults recommended for behavioral weight-loss treatment

New research shows that 140 million American adults - about 65 percent - are recommended for behavioral weight-loss treatment, with 83% of those (or 116 million) considered for pharmacotherapy.

4 Nov 2014

Researchers find independent predictors of end stage renal disease in teens

Researchers at örebro University found that high blood pressure, being overweight, elevation of a blood marker indicating inflammation, or the presence of protein in the urine in otherwise healthy teenage males were all independent predictors of end stage renal disease (ESRD) in later in life.

31 Oct 2014

New Clinical Practice Guideline for diagnosis, treatment of acromegaly

The Endocrine Society today issued a Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for the diagnosis and treatment of acromegaly, a rare condition caused by excess growth hormone in the blood.

31 Oct 2014

UAlberta researchers discover link between pulmonary hypertension, diabetes and cancer

A UAlberta team has discovered that a protein that plays a critical role in metabolism, the process by which the cell generates energy from foods, is important for the development of pulmonary hypertension, a deadly disease.

30 Oct 2014

Mediterranean-style diets, physical activity can lower risk of first-time stroke

Eating Mediterranean or DASH-style diets, regularly engaging in physical activity and keeping your blood pressure under control can lower your risk of a first-time stroke, according to updated AHA/ASA guideline published in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke.

30 Oct 2014

Study: Certain prostate cancer medications linked to cardiac death risk

A new study has found that certain prostate cancer medications are linked with an increased risk of dying from heart-related causes in men with congestive heart failure or prior heart attacks. Published in BJU International, the findings will help doctors and patients weigh the benefits and risks of the drugs.

30 Oct 2014

Generic aromatase inhibitors increase breast cancer treatment adherence by 50%

Although oral hormonal therapy is known to substantially reduce breast cancer recurrence in women with hormone receptor-positive tumors, about one-half of patients fail to take their medications as directed. A new study by Columbia University Medical Center researchers has found that the introduction of generic aromatase inhibitors (the most common type of hormone therapy), which are considerably less expensive than their brand name counterparts, increased treatment adherence by 50 percent.

28 Oct 2014

Preeclampsia study provides pathways for new therapeutic treatments

A team of researchers led by a Wayne State University School of Medicine associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology has published findings that provide novel insight into the cause of preeclampsia, the leading cause of maternal and infant death worldwide, a discovery that could lead to the development of new therapeutic treatments.

27 Oct 2014

Early brain imaging studies may help prevent vascular diseases

Future prevention and treatment strategies for vascular diseases may lie in the evaluation of early brain imaging tests long before heart attacks or strokes occur, according to a systematic review conducted by a team of cardiologists, neuroscientists, and psychiatrists from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published in the October issue of JACC Cardiovascular Imaging.

27 Oct 2014

Bariatric surgery may be risk factor for condition that causes severe headaches

Bariatric surgery may be a risk factor for a condition that causes severe headaches, according to a study published in the October 22, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

24 Oct 2014

$Insulin resistance linked to treatment-refractory bipolar disorder$

Insulin resistance linked to treatment-refractory bipolar disorder

Patients with bipolar disorder who are insulin resistant are likely to also be refractory to mood-stabilising treatment, report researchers.

22 Oct 2014

Vascular receptor autoantibodies implicated in SSc-PAH

medwireNews: Autoantibodies to endothelin receptor type A and angiotensin receptor type-1 predict the development of, and mortality from, systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension, research suggests.

22 Oct 2014

HRQoL goals may improve outcome in PAH

Health-related quality of life before and during treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension is significantly associated with survival, Brazilian researchers report.

22 Oct 2014

Team-based care shown to be most effective way to control hypertension

Patients diagnosed with high blood pressure are given better control of their condition from a physician-pharmacist collaborative intervention than physician management alone, according to new research.

22 Oct 2014

New drug naming system to be presented at ECNP conference in Berlin

What's in a name? Doctors have found that the name of the drug you are prescribed significantly influences how the patient sees the treatment.

20 Oct 2014

Depression, anxiety after MI more common in women than men

Women are more likely to develop anxiety and depression after a heart attack (myocardial infarction; MI) than men, according to research presented at Acute Cardiovascular Care 2014 by Professor Pranas Serpytis from Lithuania.

20 Oct 2014

Anaesthesia editorial challenges placenta's role in pre-eclampsia

Pre-eclampsia, the potentially deadly condition that affects pregnant women, may be caused by problems meeting the oxygen demands of the growing fetus, according to an editorial in the November issue of Anaesthesia, the journal of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

20 Oct 2014