Low Blood Pressure News and Research

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Hypotension is low blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood. Blood pressure is measured as systolic and diastolic pressures. Systolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart beats while pumping blood. Diastolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart is at rest between beats. You will most often see blood pressure numbers written with the systolic number above or before the diastolic, such as 120/80 mmHg. (The mmHg is millimeters of mercury-the units used to measure blood pressure.) Normal blood pressure in adults is lower than 120/80 mmHg. Hypotension is blood pressure that's lower than 90/60 mmHg.

Biomedical engineering researchers aim to attack two banes of cardiovascular disease

Biomedical engineering researchers will attack two banes of cardiovascular disease - heart failure after heart attacks and the scourge of resistant high blood pressure - with $4.8 million in National Institutes of Health grants that begin this fall.

26 Aug 2017

Study recommends revision of current guidelines for assessing orthostatic hypotension

A new study led by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests that testing for the presence of orthostatic hypotension, a form of low blood pressure, be performed within one minute of standing after a person has been lying down.

31 Jul 2017

Researchers find uncertainty in accuracy of blood pressure measurements

A comprehensive analysis of blood pressure data from the 1950s to the present day has highlighted the need for improvement in the accuracy of blood pressure measuring.

26 Jul 2017

Aggressive treatment for hypertension may lead to kidney damage, research suggests

Aggressive combination treatments for high blood pressure that are intended to protect the kidneys may actually be damaging the organs, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine suggests.

18 Jul 2017

FDA panel recommends new breakthrough gene therapy for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel created history by recommending a gene therapy for patients with cancer. In this therapy the patient’s own genes would be modified to fight the cancer cells. The patient’s cells which are thus altered to treat the cancer would thus be termed as “living drugs” as they act as soldiers to treat the cancer. These cells boost up the immune system and help the body fight the cancer.

14 Jul 2017

UAB emergency medicine physician offers tips to deal with snakebite

Allison Davis never saw the snake. The Mountain Brook, Alabama, elementary school teacher was pulling weeds from a planter on her deck when she felt a sharp stab of pain in her left hand.

9 Jun 2017

New immunotherapy sends multiple myeloma into remission

Researchers are reporting the impressive results of a new cell and gene therapy that has achieved unprecedented success in treating multiple myeloma patients. Although the study is an early one and the population only included 35 people, every one of the patients responded to the treatment and 33 (94%) were in some degree of clinical remission within two months.

6 Jun 2017

Combining oral drug with personalized cell therapy can lead to complete remission in CLL patients

Combining the kinase inhibitor ibrutinib with an investigational personalized cellular therapy known as CTL119 can lead to complete remission in patients with high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Penn's Abramson Cancer Center

31 May 2017

Clinical study tests 100-year-old drug in children with autism spectrum disorder

In a small, randomized Phase I/II clinical trial (SAT1), researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine say a 100-year-old drug called suramin, originally developed to treat African sleeping sickness, was safely administered to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who subsequently displayed measurable, but transient, improvement in core symptoms of autism.

26 May 2017

Study: Angiotensin II can safely improve blood pressure among critically ill patients with hypotension

Sixty years after Cleveland Clinic researchers first isolated the role of angiotensin II in controlling blood pressure, a new international study led by Cleveland Clinic researchers shows that the compound can safely improve blood pressure among critically ill patients who are experiencing life-threatening hypotension, or low blood pressure.

22 May 2017

Researchers develop new test for rapid and reliable diagnosis of sepsis

Researchers have developed a test that can rapidly and reliably diagnose sepsis, a potentially life-threatening complication of bacterial infections.

17 May 2017

FDA approves first drug for treating rare form of Batten disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Brineura (cerliponase alfa) as a treatment for a specific form of Batten disease. Brineura is the first FDA-approved treatment to slow loss of walking ability in symptomatic pediatric patients 3 years of age and older with late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2 (CLN2), also known as tripeptidyl peptidase-1 (TPP1) deficiency.

27 Apr 2017

Five ways to better prepare for planned or elective surgery

What's a tried-and-true way to prepare for surgery and anesthesia? By paying close attention to the healthcare professionals who will be delivering your care and providing them with essential information about your health status, history, and habits.

31 Mar 2017

FDA approves new therapy for adult patients with relapsing and primary progressive MS

On March 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) to treat adult patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS).

29 Mar 2017

High blood pressure not related to elevated mortality risk for older adults with weak grip strength

A study of nearly 7,500 Americans age 65 or older suggests that elevated blood pressure is not related to high mortality risk among people in that age group with weak grip strength.

28 Mar 2017

Endocrine Society releases new guideline to help diagnose and treat hypothalamic amenorrhea

Female athletes and women who have eating disorders are prone to developing a condition called hypothalamic amenorrhea that causes them to stop menstruating. The Endocrine Society today issued a Clinical Practice Guideline advising healthcare providers on ways to diagnose and treat this condition.

22 Mar 2017

Shortage of low blood pressure drug for patients with septic shock linked to elevated risk of death

Patients with septic shock admitted to hospitals affected by the 2011 shortage of the drug norepinephrine had a higher risk of in-hospital death, according to a study published online by JAMA.

21 Mar 2017

New stenting tool found to be less painful and cheaper than current methods

A new tool for assessing the narrowing of the heart's arteries was found to be as effective as current methods and less painful for patients.

21 Mar 2017

New iFR technique for assessing clogged arteries reduces discomfort and adverse events

For patients experiencing angina (chest pain) or a heart attack, a new tool called instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) was equivalent to the currently-preferred tool, fractional flow reserve (FFR), in terms of incidence of major adverse events according to two studies presented at the American College of Cardiology's 66th Annual Scientific Session. The studies also showed iFR resulted in markedly less patient discomfort and reduced procedure-related adverse events compared to FFR.

20 Mar 2017

Pre-existing immunity to dengue virus modulates T cell response to Zika infection

Although Zika and dengue are considered different virus "species," they are so closely related that the immune system treats Zika just like another version of dengue, report researchers at La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology.

13 Mar 2017