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).

Viewpoints: Medicare provider cuts 'won't work'; A 'pamphlet isn't a plan'

Once the presidential election is over, Congress will try to address the Medicare cost shortfall one way or another. They will almost certainly consider a method that is guaranteed to fail: Medicare rate cuts for doctors and hospitals. It's been tried before, most notably as part of the 1997 Balanced Budget Act. Not once since the BBA required annual physician rate cuts have those cuts been implemented, leading every year to the predictable and depressing final-hours "doc fix" vote.

26 Oct 2012

NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia participates in Symplicity system trial for hypertension

Patients with hypertension whose blood pressure cannot be brought down to safe levels despite taking three or more medications may have some relief coming their way. An innovative, first-of-its-kind clinical trial for a device representing a dramatic shift in treatment approaches for the toughest-to-treat patients is currently being conducted at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

From Medtronic 26 Oct 2012

ACS BSCN accredits UCSD Bariatric Metabolic Institute as Level 1 facility

The Bariatric Metabolic Institute (BMI) at University of California, San Diego Health System has been accredited as a Level 1 facility by the Bariatric Surgery Center Network (BSCN) Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This designation means that the institutional performance of UC San Diego BMI meets the rigorous requirements outlined by the ACS BSCN Accreditation Program.

26 Oct 2012

New study offers hope for lonely older adults at increased risk of health problems

Always look on the bright side of life. Thanks to a new study from Concordia University, this catchy refrain offers a prescription for staying healthy during one's golden years.

26 Oct 2012

Extra pounds compromise children’s autonomic function

Overweight children have impaired cardiovascular autonomic regulation, report researchers in Heart.

25 Oct 2012

Study sheds light on why the weight inevitably comes back

Joint research between the University of Michigan and the Argentina-based National Council of Science and Technology (CONICET) has shed light on one of the most frustrating mysteries of weight loss - why the weight inevitably comes back.

25 Oct 2012

Vascular endothelial cells play a larger role in pulmonary hypertension

It turns out the muscle cells on the outside of blood vessels have been wrongly accused for instigating lung disease. New research shows that while these muscle cells are responsible for constricting or dilating the blood vessels, they are not responsible for sensing the amount of oxygen that gets to the lungs. That message comes from the endothelial cells - special cells that line the blood vessels - along a "signalling pathway."

25 Oct 2012

Simple-to-use risk score can identify low-risk STEMI patients for early discharge

A simple-to-use risk score can identify low-risk patients following a severe heart attack (STEMI) and may provide an opportunity to employ early discharge strategies to reduce length of hospital stay and save hospital costs without compromising the safety of the patient, based on a study presented by the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation on Oct. 23 at the 2012 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference.

24 Oct 2012

Men with cardiovascular risk factors more likely to develop peripheral artery disease

Among nearly 45,000 men who were followed up for more than two decades, those with the risk factors of smoking, hypertension, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes had an associated greater risk of developing PAD, according to a study in the October 24/31 issue of JAMA.

24 Oct 2012

Bayer announces data from riociguat Phase III trial on CTEPH

Bayer HealthCare today announced data from the Phase III CHEST-1 trial evaluating its investigational drug riociguat in patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) or with persistent or recurrent pulmonary hypertension (PH) after surgery.

24 Oct 2012

Moms and babies more likely to die when co-ICU arises

When mothers and newborns are both admitted to intensive care units they are significantly more likely to die than when neither is admitted to an ICU, new research has found.

23 Oct 2012

Computed tomography aids scleroderma lung disease prognosis

High-resolution computed tomography is useful for the prognosis of patients with systemic scleroderma-related interstitial lung disease, research shows.

22 Oct 2012

Renal denervation improves quality of life in hypertension

Renal denervation in patients with treatment-resistant hypertension results in a significantly improved quality of life, a study suggests.

22 Oct 2012

Potential biomarker diagnostic test for pre-eclampsia

Collaborators at Cottage Health System and University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) have identified biomarkers that may yield a revolutionary diagnostic test for pre-eclampsia, a complex and potentially life-threatening hypertensive condition affecting 5% of pregnancies worldwide.

22 Oct 2012

Patients with PAH may suffer greater disease burden after IV PGI2 combination therapy

Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) receiving combination therapy with intravenous (IV) PGI2 may suffer from greater disease burden compared with those receiving monotherapy or combination therapy, excluding IV PGI2.

22 Oct 2012

Bayer announces data from riociguat Phase III pulmonary arterial hypertension trial

Bayer HealthCare today announced data from the Phase III PATENT-1 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) trial evaluating its investigational drug riociguat in both treatment-naive patients and those pre-treated with an endothelin receptor antagonist or an oral, inhaled or subcutaneous prostanoid.

22 Oct 2012

Gender gap in myocardial infarction mortality

Women are more likely to die from a myocardial infarction than men, according to research presented at the Acute Cardiac Care Congress 2012. The gender gap in mortality was independent of patient characteristics, revascularisation delays and revascularisation modalities.

20 Oct 2012