High Blood Pressure News and Research

Latest High Blood Pressure News and Research

New risk calculator predicts risk of postoperative complications for bariatric surgery patients

A new risk calculator can predict the risk of postoperative complications occurring for individual bariatric surgery patients, according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The risk calculator will help in surgical decision-making and will help patients better understand what they can expect during recovery in order to prepare for a bariatric operation.

5 Apr 2011

Exercise may decrease blood flow and oxygen in hypertensive people

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified one reason people with hypertension experience an even greater increase in their blood pressure when they exercise, and they've learned how to prevent the rise.

5 Apr 2011

Lack of vitamin D can lead to impaired vascular health

A lack of vitamin D, even in generally healthy people, is linked with stiffer arteries and an inability of blood vessels to relax, research from the Emory/Georgia Tech Predictive Health Institute has found.

4 Apr 2011

Prevalence of NAFLD in US expected to increase by 50% in 2030: Study

According to new data presented today at the International Liver CongressTM, the United States could soon be faced with an epidemic of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, one of the major contributing factors of chronic liver disease, considered as one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide.

2 Apr 2011

Some local thoughts on ACOs

A Minneapolis hospital and California physician group association react to the ACO regulations.

1 Apr 2011

New CMS reimbursement system for ESRD may place cost constraints on clinics

According to Millennium Research Group, the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, the new reimbursement system from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for end stage renal disease will have a mixed but mostly negative effect on the market for ESRD treatment devices.

1 Apr 2011

NIH combats obesity epidemic with new strategic research plan

To combat the obesity epidemic, the National Institutes of Health is encouraging diverse scientific investigations through a new Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research.

1 Apr 2011

Mitochondrial defect inherited from mother is linked to high blood pressure in one Chinese family

A specific genetic defect in one Chinese family shows that high blood pressure was inherited from the female parent, researchers report in Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association.

1 Apr 2011

Study: Diet-exercise can improve physical performance in obese seniors

For obese seniors, dieting and exercise together are more effective at improving physical performance and reducing frailty than either alone.

31 Mar 2011

Singing reduces blood pressure prior to total knee replacement surgery

Doctors report that singing reduced the blood pressure of a 76-year-old woman who had experienced severe preoperative hypertension prior to total knee replacement surgery for osteoarthritis (OA). While the patient was unresponsive to aggressive pharmacologic interventions, the woman's blood pressure dropped dramatically when she sang several religious songs.

30 Mar 2011

California's aging LGB more likely to suffer from certain chronic conditions

Members of California's aging lesbian, gay and bisexual population are more likely to suffer from certain chronic conditions, even as they wrestle with the challenges of living alone in far higher numbers than the heterosexual population, according to new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

30 Mar 2011

People of all ages and both sexes can have congestive heart failure

Elizabeth Taylor died of congestive heart failure at the age of 79 on March 23. Her death raises awareness of this serious condition that affects an estimated five million Americans.

29 Mar 2011

Study links specific cardiovascular risk factors to AF episodes

Reducing cardiovascular risk factors like high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and being overweight could potentially reduce more than half of all cases of atrial fibrillation, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

29 Mar 2011

Interventional radiologists complete RDN human trial in patients with uncontrolled hypertension

Interventional radiologists have completed the first human randomized controlled trial of therapeutic renal denervation or RDN—a procedure that uses a catheter-based probe inserted into the renal artery that emits high-frequency energy to deactivate the nerves near the kidneys that are linked to high blood pressure.

29 Mar 2011

Study finds 'white coat' hypertension in patients during 24-hour ambulatory monitoring

A third of patients thought to have resistant hypertension had "white coat" hypertension during 24-hour ambulatory monitoring, in a large study reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

29 Mar 2011

Challenges of high-risk surgery

A small group of "high-risk" patients account for a disproportionately high number of surgery-related deaths, complications, and costs. The April issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS), commences a special series on high-risk surgery—focusing on new and emerging strategies for identifying and managing patients at high risk.

28 Mar 2011