High Blood Pressure News and Research

Latest High Blood Pressure News and Research

If you thought getting mugged was more likely than a stroke - wrong again!

A new survey suggests that the risk of having a stroke is greatly underestimated by most people in the UK.

30 Aug 2005

Call for closer examination of a metabolic syndrome

Two major health organizations in Europe and the United States are calling for closer examination of a syndrome that has been widely believed to predict the risk of developing heart disease, questioning whether it has been appropriately defined and whether it is in fact a syndrome at all.

25 Aug 2005

Experimental immunusuppressant drug preserves transplanted kidneys

An international team of transplant physicians has shown that the investigational drug belatacept (LEA29Y) preserves transplanted kidney function as effectively as cyclosporine, the drug most commonly used to prevent the immune system from rejecting transplanted organs.

24 Aug 2005

New drug that selectively blocks immune responses protects kidneys after transplant

In an international clinical trial, a new drug that selectively blocks immune responses has proved as effective in preventing acute kidney transplant rejection as cyclosporine, the standard anti-rejection treatment.

24 Aug 2005

New guidelines to battle heart failure

Early diagnosis and new treatments can help battle heart failure -- a growing national problem that causes 1 million hospital admissions each year, according to new guidelines released by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA).

22 Aug 2005

Common non-aspirin painkillers linked to high blood pressure in women

Women who consume higher doses of non-aspirin painkillers are much more likely to develop high blood pressure than women who do not use them, according to research reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

17 Aug 2005

Low hemoglobin levels are a predictor of increased risk of death among heart failure patients

Hemoglobin (Hgb) is the major substance in red blood cells, and its level indicates the blood's ability to carry oxygen throughout the body. Studies have shown that low hemoglobin, which may result in anemia, is more common among patients with heart failure than it is among people in the general population.

17 Aug 2005

New study shows even non-prescription painkillers raise blood pressure in women

According to a new U.S. study women who take higher doses of common, over-the-counter painkillers, such as Ibuprofen and even Tylenol, have higher blood pressure than women who do not.

16 Aug 2005

Researchers find drug targets for treating metabolic syndrome

Ongoing studies by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center and other institutions have uncovered the biochemical basis of many of the factors contributing to what is known as the metabolic syndrome, suggesting potential new drug targets for treating the condition.

11 Aug 2005

Cognitive therapy can have a preventive effect for depression

Three years ago, Terry Tuton was laid off from his job as project manager at a large technology firm, leaving him limited insurance coverage at a time when he was suffering from overpowering feelings of hopelessness and depression - and not for the first time in his life.

4 Aug 2005

FDA approval for Diovan (Valsartan)

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Diovan (valsartan), the most prescribed ARB (angiotensin receptor blocker) in the US and worldwide, for a new indication to reduce cardiovascular death in patients at high risk (with left ventricular failure or left ventricular dysfunction) following a heart attack.

4 Aug 2005

Risk of metabolic syndrome raised even by secondhand smoke

A new study has shown that even secondhand smoke can raise the risk of metabolic syndrome, a condition marked by obesity, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels and pre-diabetes.

4 Aug 2005

Not enough women take part in heart drug trials

Scientists say because women are under-represented in the clinical trials of heart drugs, doctors are left in the dark as to how treatments may work differently in their bodies.

3 Aug 2005

The wonders of watermelon

On a hot summer day, nothing refreshes quite like a crisp, juicy slice of cool watermelon. Whether you're chomping into watermelon, enjoying it as part of a fruit salad or slurping on a watermelon smoothie, that red pulp provides a powerhouse of nutritional value.

2 Aug 2005

Masked hypertension poses hidden hazard

Patients with "masked" hypertension that is not detected by routine office blood pressure measurements appear to have stroke and death rates similar to that of patients with sustained high blood pressure; whereas patients with so-called "white coat" hypertension appear to have no greater risk than people with normal blood pressure, according to a new study in the Aug. 2, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

2 Aug 2005

Visceral obesity may be an important risk factor for insulin resistance syndrome in children

Waist circumference is associated with insulin resistance in children and may offer a simple way to identify children with risk factors for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, according to a study in the August issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

1 Aug 2005

Dairy foods may actually help dieters keep the muscle and lose even more fat

Most people don't realize when a person loses weight, they lose fat and muscle, but new research indicates dairy foods may actually help dieters keep the muscle and lose even more fat.

1 Aug 2005

Study raises concern about the use of beta blockers for all heart patients

Doubt has been cast on the popular practice of giving most heart patients drugs that reduce the heart's workload before and after major surgery, after new research has raised concerns about it.

28 Jul 2005

Controlling high blood pressure in individuals age 80 years and older has become a major national health problem

The study found that almost three fourths of those 80 years and older have hypertension -- blood pressure greater than 140 systolic over greater than 90 diastolic. Fewer than 10 percent have "normal" blood pressure levels -- less than 120 systolic over less than 80 diastolic.

26 Jul 2005

Study shows that while the rate of high blood pressure increased with age, numbers of people receiving treatment for the condition did not

Nearly two-thirds of men and women age 80 and older have high blood pressure, but their conditions are frequently not kept under control, according to new data from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) long-standing Framingham Heart Study.

26 Jul 2005