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).

Severe sleep loss jolts the immune system into action

Severe sleep loss jolts the immune system into action, reflecting the same type of immediate response shown during exposure to stress, a new study reports.

30 Jun 2012

Pregnant women with preeclampsia, diabetes need biomarkers checked

Researchers are calling for cardiovascular biomarker profiling in pregnant women with preeclampsia and diabetes to help predict their future CV disease risk.

29 Jun 2012

Surgical injury is increasing dialysis use

Acute dialysis use in patients who experience kidney injury while undergoing major elective surgery has increased substantially over the past 14 years, report researchers in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

29 Jun 2012

Clergy's practice of putting others first can be detrimental to their own health

Clergy's practice of putting others first can be detrimental to their own health, say researchers at Duke University.

29 Jun 2012

Statins for erectile dysfunction proposed

Family doctors should offer men with erectile dysfunction treatment with a statin – not only to improve their quality of life but also to reduce their future cardiovascular risk.

28 Jun 2012

High medical illness rates in bipolar disorder

Results from a US study show that more than half of patients with bipolar disorder have a significant burden of comorbid medical illnesses.

28 Jun 2012

Statin effects may be gender-specific

The benefit of using statins may differ according to gender, show findings from a meta-analysis.

28 Jun 2012

Surgical injury is increasing dialysis use

28 Jun 2012

UCLA Heart Transplant Program performs 2,000th heart transplant surgery

The UCLA Heart Transplant Program performed its 2,000th heart transplant surgery earlier this month, becoming the first program in the western United States and only the second in the world to achieve this remarkable milestone.

28 Jun 2012

Arena receives FDA approval for Belviq to treat obesity

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Belviq (lorcaserin hydrochloride), as an addition to a reduced-calorie diet and exercise, for chronic weight management.

28 Jun 2012

Covidien introduces campaign to help educate women about risk of VTE during pregnancy

Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, today announced the launch of its "1 in 1,000" campaign to help educate women about the risk of pregnancy-related blood clots, one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in the developed world.

28 Jun 2012

Two coffees a day keep heart failure risk at bay

Drinking two cups of coffee a day may significantly reduce risk for heart failure, while anymore than that could significantly increase the risk, researchers say.

27 Jun 2012

Cardiovascular disease risk greater with Atkins-style diets

Women who regularly eat a low carbohydrate, high protein diet are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease (such as heart disease and stroke) than those who do not, a study published on bmj.com today suggests.

27 Jun 2012

GUMC receives NIH grant to establish Center of Excellence for Health Disparities

The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded a $6.1 million grant over the next five years to Georgetown University Medical Center to establish the Center of Excellence for Health Disparities in Our Nation's Capital.

27 Jun 2012

Study finds increase in incidence of gout and hyperuricemia in the U.S.

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that the incidence of gout and hyperuricemia (high uric acid levels) in the U.S. has risen significantly over the last 20 years and is associated with major medical disorders like hypertension and chronic kidney disease.

27 Jun 2012

Study: 40 million Americans ages 12 and older have addiction disease

Forty million Americans ages 12 and older have addiction involving nicotine, alcohol or other drugs, a disease affecting more Americans than heart conditions, diabetes or cancer according to a five-year national study released today by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA Columbia).

26 Jun 2012

Type 2 diabetes often reverses after modified weight loss surgery

Type 2 diabetes often reverses after modified weight loss surgery, especially when the duration of diabetes is less than 10 years, a new study finds. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

26 Jun 2012

Pregnant women with preeclampsia, diabetes need biomarkers checked

Researchers are calling for cardiovascular biomarker profiling in pregnant women with preeclampsia and diabetes to help predict their future cardiovascular disease risk.

25 Jun 2012

FDA approves Daiichi Sankyo's US-based Bethlehem packaging facility

Today, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to package product at its first United States-based packaging facility located in Bethlehem, PA. With this approval, the Company expands its global supply chain capability, helping to ensure the supply of medicine to U.S. physicians and their patients.

25 Jun 2012

Mount Sinai offers transoral robotic surgery for sleep apnea treatment

The Center for Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery at The Mount Sinai Medical Center—a pioneer in robotic surgery—now offers the procedure to patients with sleep apnea, whose obstructive breathing prevents them from sleeping normally. Mount Sinai is one of only a few programs in the world to use transoral robotic surgery (TORS) to remove excess tissue or fix a collapsed airway that causes sleep apnea.

25 Jun 2012