High Blood Pressure News and Research

Latest High Blood Pressure News and Research

Million Hearts, ACP aim to prevent heart attacks and strokes in five years

The American College of Physicians (ACP), the second-largest physician group in the United States, has joined Million Hearts, a public-private sector initiative that aims to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes in five years. Million Hearts has two primary goals:

30 May 2012

Link between high levels of PCB and distribution of abdominal fat

There is a correlation between high levels of the environmental toxin PCB and the distribution of body fat to the abdomen. This is shown in a new study published today in the scientific journal Obesity. Abdominal fat is already known to increase the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure, among other conditions.

30 May 2012

Aggressive efforts to lower blood pressure in people with diabetes are paying off

Aggressive efforts to lower blood pressure in people with diabetes are paying off - perhaps too well, according to a new study.

29 May 2012

Important heat safety tips from Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Aging

With hot temperatures and high humidity expected to make an early appearance in some parts of Pennsylvania this Memorial Day weekend, the Departments of Health and Aging are urging everyone to take simple steps to prevent serious heat-related illness or even death.

28 May 2012

Number of Americans with kidney stones nearly doubled since 1994

The number of Americans suffering from kidney stones between 2007 and 2010 nearly doubled since 1994, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and RAND.

24 May 2012

Calcium supplements may increase the risk of heart attack

Calcium supplements might increase the risk of having a heart attack, and should be “taken with caution,” concludes research published in the online issue of the journal Heart.

24 May 2012

Viewpoints: The promise and perils of prostate screening; Presidential candidates shy away from frank discussion of spending

After an exhaustive process, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has announced its final recommendation on PSA-based prostate cancer screening. It finds that the known harms of screening outweigh the potential benefits for men who have no cancer symptoms. It notes that all screening studies have demonstrated considerable harms associated with screening, but only one major study found evidence that screening saves lives -- and that study has some internal inconsistencies.

24 May 2012

Studies examine effectiveness of CPAP in reducing risk of cardiovascular outcomes linked with OSA

Two studies that included adults with obstructive sleep apnea examined the effectiveness of reducing the risk of cardiovascular outcomes, including high blood pressure, by treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), according to the articles in the May 23/30 issue of JAMA.

23 May 2012

Astrocytes appear to retaliate against AD

When brain cells start oozing too much of the amyloid protein that is the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, the astrocytes that normally nourish and protect them deliver a suicide package instead, researchers report.

23 May 2012

Exercise can add years to a person's life

A recent study has shown that exercise can add years to a person's life. Still, as we age it can become more tedious and sometimes more difficult to exercise.

23 May 2012

Behavior support intervention can help reduce blood pressure in African-Americans

Behavioral support from peers and primary care office staff can help patients improve their blood pressure control by as much as starting a new drug, a new study found. Barbara J. Turner, M.D., M.S.Ed., M.A., M.A.C.P., of UT Medicine San Antonio, is the senior author.

22 May 2012

Salt intake: why is it bad for you?

Many of us are aware that we shouldn’t eat too much salt. To be precise, adults should avoid eating over 6g (or around about a teaspoon of salt) a day.

21 May 2012

Dieting in pregnancy can be beneficial and reduce complications

For pregnant women, including those who are overweight and obese, following a healthy calorie controlled diet during pregnancy is safe and can reduce the risk of serious complications such as pre-eclampsia, diabetes and premature birth, finds a study published on bmj.com.

21 May 2012

Pregnant women should be encouraged to minimise weight gain through diet

Pregnant women, including those who are obese or overweight, should be encouraged to minimise weight gain through diet, according to major new research from Queen Mary, University of London.

19 May 2012

Personal genetic test results does not drive overuse of expensive medical care

People have increasing opportunities to participate in genetic testing that can indicate their range of risk for developing a disease. Receiving these results does not appreciably drive up or diminish test recipients' demand for potentially costly follow-up health services, according to a study performed by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and colleagues at other institutions.

19 May 2012

UK-led technologies set to transform treatments on the NHS

Video games, pioneering gene therapies and new medical devices are set to transform treatments on the NHS, with support from the Department of Health and the Wellcome Trust.

19 May 2012

Regular eating times, extended daily fasting may prevent diabetes, obesity

It turns out that when we eat may be as important as what we eat. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found that regular eating times and extending the daily fasting period may override the adverse health effects of a high-fat diet and prevent obesity, diabetes and liver disease in mice.

18 May 2012

Maternal deaths drop by nearly half worldwide over 20 years; Greater progress still needed, U.N. reports

"The number of women dying of pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications has almost halved in 20 years, according to new estimates released [on Wednesday] by the United Nations, which stressed that greater progress is still needed in significantly reducing maternal deaths," the U.N. News Centre reports.

18 May 2012

Renal denervation can effectively reduce blood pressure in CKD patients with hypertension

Disrupting certain nerves in the kidneys can safely and effectively lower blood pressure in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hypertension, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

18 May 2012

Nottingham researchers lead largest ever research project into genetics of pre-eclampsia

Researchers from The University of Nottingham are leading the largest ever international research project into the genetics of the potentially fatal condition pre-eclampsia.

17 May 2012