Diuretic Drug News and Research

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A diuretic is any drug that elevates the rate of urination and thus provides a means of forced diuresis. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics increase the excretion of water from bodies, although each class does so in a distinct way.

Diuretics work better than newer and more costly medicines for diabetics with high blood pressure

Diuretics (water pills) work better than newer and more costly medicines in the treatment of high blood pressure and prevention of some forms of heart disease in people with type 2 diabetes, according to results from the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT).

28 Jun 2005

Latest patterns of medication use in the U.S.

In 2004, 82 percent of adults and more than 50 percent of children took at least one prescription, over-the-counter (OTC), or herbal/natural medication in any given week, Boston University researchers revealed recently.

30 May 2005

Hypertension drug combination yields high rate of blood pressure control in hard-to-treat patients

The study, conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and 118 other sites, was focused on bringing down systolic blood pressure, the top number in a blood pressure reading, which is the more difficult number to bring down.

18 May 2005

A drug that controls blood pressure and reduces heart risk also appears to protect against diabetes

In new results from the VALUE trial that pitted the drug valsartan against another blood pressure drug, amlodipine, the patients taking valsartan were found to have a 23 percent lower risk of developing diabetes during the four or more years of the study.

18 May 2005

Heart failure patients do better when treated according to guidelines, but too many doctors still fail to prescribe the best treatments

Heart failure patients who are treated in accordance with established European guidelines do better than patients who are not, yet many doctors are still not adhering to the guidelines, according to pioneering research published in Europe’s leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal.

4 May 2005

Blood pressure treatment could cut risk of strokes and heart attacks

A new treatment strategy for hypertension can cut the risk of strokes by around 25 percent and coronary events by around 15 percent according to the preliminary results of a major international trial announced at the American College of Cardiology Late Breaking Clinical Trials II Meeting in Orlando today.

8 Mar 2005

Short-term use of selective COX-2 inhibitors may be safe for patients with cirrhosis of the liver

Short-term use of selective COX-2 inhibitors may be safe for patients with cirrhosis of the liver, according to a recent study that compared the effects of celecoxib, naproxen, and a placebo on cirrhotic patients in a double-blind randomized controlled study.

22 Feb 2005

Low-dose diuretic therapy for most patients with hypertension recommended

Patients with high blood pressure who take calcium channel blockers and diuretics have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) death compared to patients who take beta-blockers plus diuretics, according to a study in the current issue of JAMA.

16 Dec 2004

Excellent news for the many people who suffer from high blood pressure

An international trial comparing blood-pressure lowering treatments has been stopped early due to the significantly better performance of one of the treatments in the trial.

8 Dec 2004

Generic drugs are still a good buy

A new AARP study found that manufacturers' prices for some generic drugs experienced a rapid rise over the past three years. However, these increases would have added only a few dollars per year to consumers' costs for any one of these products.

4 Nov 2004

Stem cells from umbilical cord blood, given intravenously with mannitol drug reduce stroke size and damage

Researchers first gave the drug, mannitol, to provide temporary passage through the blood-brain barrier then transfused human umbilical cord blood cells into a stroke animal model. When used in the first hours and days following a stroke, stroke size decreased by 40 percent and resulting disability was significantly reduced.

26 Sep 2004

HHS enhances Medicare drug card program to help seniors

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced new measures to help seniors get the lowest price possible for their medicines by allowing them -- for the first time -- to compare prices for similar drugs used to treat common diseases such as high cholesterol or blood pressure.

15 Sep 2004

Trial sparks debate over treatment of diabetic hypertensives

A major new international study published in the Journal of Hypertension has challenged traditional thinking by revealing that the thiazide-like diuretic indapamide SR (Natrilix SR) has equivalent efficacy to enalapril in reducing microalbuminuria (MA) in patients with type 2 diabetes.

22 Jul 2004

Exercise found to be equally effective as diuretics in preventing high blood pressure and an enlarged heart

Only recently was a type of diuretic known as thiazides been found to be superior to angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and calcium antagonists (calcium channel blockers) in preventing one or more major types of cardiovascular disease.

30 Jun 2004

Study has important implications for African Americans who suffer from high blood pressure

A new study has important implications for the millions of African Americans who suffer from high blood pressure. The study, AADVANCE, shows Diovan HCT(R) (valsartan and hydrochlorothiazide) lowers blood pressure in African Americans to aggressive recommended target blood pressure goals as effectively as amlodipine.

20 May 2004

Comparison study shows low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet loses more weight than low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-calorie diet

People who followed a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet lost more weight than people on a low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-calorie diet during a six-month comparison study at Duke University Medical Center. However, the researchers caution that people with medical conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure should not start the diet without close medical supervision.

19 May 2004

New scanning technology allows researchers to look into a kidney

Kidney disease may affect as many as one in twelve people, and causes millions of deaths each year. Currently, the diagnosis of kidney function relies mainly on blood and urine tests, an indirect means of figuring out how well they’re working.

19 Apr 2004

Caffeine and children, some sound advice

Many adults are dependent on the caffeine in their morning coffee to get them going. But what about kids? Children who regularly drink soda, iced tea and other caffeine-containing beverages and foods may be getting too much. Find out how caffeine can be bad for your kids (and you) -- and how much is too much.

16 Apr 2004