Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) News and Research

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Hypertension (or high blood pressure) is a condition where the pressure of the blood flowing through the arteries of the body is higher than it should be. Much like the pressure of the air in a tire, if the pressure of the blood is too high it can damage the arteries and organs of the body. Just like the tire, if the pressure suddenly becomes very high, catastrophic events can happen. Similarly, if the pressure remains somewhat elevated for a long enough period of time, premature wear and failure can occur.

Hypertension has its worst effects on the heart, kidneys, eyes, and brain. High blood pressure is a risk factor for heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, hemorrhages of the retina of the eye, and generalized atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries all over the body).

New national healthcare campaign aims at controlling high blood pressure

A majority of patients can't recall whether their physician mentioned their blood pressure numbers and among patients with high blood pressure, only 56 percent say they talked with their doctor about ways to reduce their high blood pressure, according to a new survey released today by the American Medical Group Foundation, the nonprofit education and research arm of the American Medical Group Association.

1 Dec 2012

Only assess glaucoma drug efficacy after multiple testing

Intraocular pressure measurements may be insufficient to determine treatment effectiveness, even when repeated multiple times, show study results.

30 Nov 2012

Study: Controversial treatment for autism spectrum disorder may be harmful

A controversial treatment for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is not only ineffective but may be harmful, according to a study conducted by Baylor University researchers.

30 Nov 2012

African Americans experience faster progression of CKD during later stages

Among individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), African Americans experience faster progression of the disease during later stages compared with other races, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

30 Nov 2012

Structured hypertension care: VIPER lacks real bite

An intensive structured care program for hypertension management in primary care leads to some improvements in blood pressure control, results from the VIPER-BP trial show.

29 Nov 2012

Tadalafil may offer therapeutic strategy in patients with Becker muscular dystrophy

Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute researchers have found in an initial clinical trial that a drug typically prescribed for erectile dysfunction or pulmonary hypertension restores blood flow to oxygen-starved muscles in patients with a type of muscular dystrophy that affects males, typically starting in childhood or adolescence.

29 Nov 2012

First U.S. breathing lung transplant performed in Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center

First there was the "heart in a box," a revolutionary experimental technology that allows donor hearts to be delivered to transplant recipients warm and beating rather than frozen in an ice cooler. Now that same technology is being used to deliver "breathing lungs."

27 Nov 2012

Lack of job may raise heart attack risk

Unemployment, multiple job losses, and short periods without work are all significant risk factors for acute myocardial infarction, say researchers.

26 Nov 2012

Overexpressed enzyme contributes to development of preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy and the major cause of death for both mother and child in Europe and the U.S. It affects about one in 20 pregnancies. The main symptoms are high blood pressure and protein in the urine.

26 Nov 2012

Inovio's SynCon DNA vaccine effective at inducing CD8+ T cell responses specific to CMV

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that testing of multiple synthetic vaccine constructs for cytomegalovirus (CMV) induced robust T cells in mice, demonstrating the potential for a SynCon DNA vaccine to treat this virus that causes infant death and congenital abnormalities, is associated with cerebral palsy and brain tumors, and is the most common viral infection in organ transplant recipients. CMV is also associated with numerous inflammatory diseases and cancers, and is implicated in hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

26 Nov 2012

Weight loss and quality of sleep: an interview with Kerry Stewart

In our particular study we used a survey which consisted of 50 different questions which get at different aspects of sleep health. It was a patient self-report.

26 Nov 2012

‘White-coat’ hypertension concern in very elderly

An analysis of the HYVET data suggests that white-coat hypertension may account for a large number of strokes in the very elderly, and should be treated.

23 Nov 2012

Bowel cancer and GIST patients could benefit from novel oral drug

Two phase 3 trials, published in The Lancet, have shown that a novel oral drug called regorafenib could offer survival benefits to people with bowel (colorectal) cancer or gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) following failure of existing treatments.

22 Nov 2012