Hypertension – Persistently high arterial blood pressure. Hypertension may have no known cause (essential or idiopathic hypertension) or be associated with other primary diseases (secondary hypertension). This condition is considered a risk factor for the development of heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, stroke and kidney disease.
‘Less is more’ when it comes to treating high blood pressure – A newly published study found patients actually have more control of their high blood pressure (hypertension) when treated with less medication.
Common gene variants increase risk of hypertension, may lead to new therapies – A new study has identified the first common gene variants associated with an increased incidence of hypertension ? a significant risk factor for heart attack, stroke and kidney failure.
Guideline alert for blood pressure patients as treatment combo fails (combination of ACE inhibitors and Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers) – Thousands of Canadians with high blood pressure (hypertension) are being treated with a drug combination that increases the risk of sudden cardiac death, kidney disease and the likelihood of dialysis, warns the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
University of Maryland researchers identify common gene variant linked to high blood pressure. STK39 gene produces protein involved in regulating how kidneys process salt. – Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have identified a common gene variant that appears to influence people’s risk of developing high blood pressure, according to the results of a study being published online Dec. 29, 2008 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
High blood pressure may make it difficult for the elderly to think clearly – Adding another reason for people to watch their blood pressure, a new study from North Carolina State University shows that increased blood pressure in older adults is directly related to decreased cognitive functioning, particularly among seniors with already high blood pressure. This means that stressful situations may make it more difficult for some seniors to think clearly.
High blood pressure in the doctor’s clinic may not predict heart risks. Round-the-clock blood pressure measurements, especially those during the night, are better predictors of major cardiovascular problems. – Continuously measuring blood pressure may help predict heart disease and related deaths among individuals with treatment-resistant hypertension, while blood pressure readings taken in a medical clinic do not appear to predict future heart risks, according to a report in November 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Researchers discover hydrogen sulfide – a gas generated by bacteria living in the human colon – is a major regulator of blood pressure. – Anyone with a nose knows the rotten-egg odor of hydrogen sulfide, a gas generated by bacteria living in the human colon. Now an international team of scientists has discovered that cells inside the blood vessels of mice – as well as in people, no doubt – naturally make the gassy stuff, and that it controls blood pressure.
Study highlights an audio-guided relaxation CD with background sounds of ocean waves and a calming voice may lower blood pressure in elderly people. – An audio relaxation program lowered blood pressure more than a Mozart sonata in a group of elderly people with high blood pressure, researchers reported at the American Heart Association’s 62nd Annual Fall Conference of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research.
High blood pressure is notoriously difficult to treat to goal ? many patients fail to reach target levels despite treatment, and studies show home monitoring can help. – People with hypertension should routinely monitor their blood pressure at home to help manage the disease, according to a new joint scientific statement from the American Heart Association, American Society of Hypertension and the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses’ Association.
Aggressively lowering cholesterol and blood pressure levels below current targets in adults with type 2 diabetes may help to prevent ? and possibly reverse ? hardening of the arteries. – Aggressively lowering cholesterol and blood pressure levels below current targets in adults with type 2 diabetes may help to prevent ? and possibly reverse ? hardening of the arteries, according to new research supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health. Hardening of the arteries, also known as atherosclerosis, is the number one cause of heart disease and can lead to heart attack, stroke, and death.
A new drug telmisartan is as effective as the popular drug ramipril in reducing cardiovascular death in high risk patients and it has fewer side effects. – A major Canadian-led global study has found that a new blood pressure medication is effective in reducing cardiovascular death, with fewer side effects than the current standard of care. The study found a new drug telmisartan is as effective as the popular drug ramipril in reducing cardiovascular death in high risk patients and it has fewer side effects.
Link between alcohol and blood pressure may be greater than previous studies suggest – The relationship between heavy drinking and hypertension is more significant than previously thought according to a new analysis of recent studies by researchers at Bristol University, published in PLoS Medicine.
