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).

Health care system or patient-directed programs help prevent or manage diabetes

A new study has found that programs aimed at helping people prevent or manage diabetes are most successful if they are directed at the patient or the health care system. Programs aimed at physicians were only successful for patients with poorer diabetes control.

23 Jun 2012

Too much salt can damage blood vessels and lead to hypertension

A high sodium intake over a prolonged period of time is associated with increased vascular dysfunction, which may lead to hypertension, researchers report.

22 Jun 2012

OSA underdiagnosed among primary care diabetes patients

Obstructive sleep apnea is commonly underdiagnosed in patients with Type 2 diabetes in primary care, suggest study findings.

22 Jun 2012

Patients with psoriasis at increased risk for developing diabetes

Study findings suggest that psoriasis is an independent risk factor for the development of Type 2 diabetes.

22 Jun 2012

Patients taking common blood pressure drug show symptoms of celiac disease

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered an association between a commonly prescribed blood pressure drug, Olmesartan, and severe gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss and electrolyte abnormalities -- symptoms common among those who have celiac disease. The findings are published online today in the medical journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

22 Jun 2012

Protein in blood can predict improper growth of fetus

Researchers from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) have found a protein in the blood of pregnant women that can predict if they are likely to have a fetus that doesn't grow properly, and thus has a high risk of stillbirth and long-term health complications.

22 Jun 2012

Link between Olmesartan drug and severe GI issues

22 Jun 2012

Examining the threat of multi-drug resistant TB in India

The Wall Street Journal reports on a rise of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (TB) in India, writing, "India's slow response to years of medical warnings now threatens to turn the country into an incubator for a mutant strain of tuberculosis that is proving resistant to all known treatments, raising alarms of a new global health hazard."

21 Jun 2012

African-Americans and males lose significant weight after gastric bypass surgery

African-Americans and males lost significant weight after gastric bypass surgery, but not as much as their white and female counterparts, according to a new study presented here at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

21 Jun 2012

Hypertension-associated hospitalizations of children on the increase

The number of children hospitalized with hypertension in the USA increased dramatically between 1997 and 2006, with associated increases in healthcare costs, say researchers.

20 Jun 2012

Lack of time, training among top barriers to counseling in primary care setting

Lack of time, knowledge and training in health promotion and lack of success with changing patient behavior were among the top barriers to including effective physical activity counseling in the primary care setting, according to research by The University of Texas School of Public Health, part of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

20 Jun 2012

Bariatric surgery improves kidney function in severely obese patients with CKD

Severely obese patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) saw significant improvements in kidney function within one year of bariatric surgery, according to a new study presented here at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

20 Jun 2012

Home BP monitoring ‘could help guide dosing, titration’

Researchers report that home blood pressure monitoring provides a reliable indicator of blood pressure control in elderly patients.

19 Jun 2012

ASI completes $5.3 million Series A Preferred Stock financing

Ablative Solutions, Inc. (ASI), a privately-held company headquartered in Kalamazoo, MI with offices in Menlo Park, CA announced today that it has completed a Series A Preferred Stock financing, totaling approximately $5.3 million (including the conversion of the bridge financing completed earlier this year), to fund its unique technology platform.

19 Jun 2012

Psychological distress associated with higher risk of death from stroke

Psychological distress was associated with a higher risk of death from stroke, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

19 Jun 2012

Is curry good for you?

There have been several news stories over the years reporting that curry may be good for us. Most of them refer to a chemical in curry, known as curcumin.

18 Jun 2012

Simple, inexpensive method for preventing type 2 diabetes

A simple, inexpensive method for preventing type 2 diabetes that relies on calling people and educating them on the sort of lifestyle changes they could make to avoid developing the disease has proven effective in a study conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the City of Berkeley Department of Public Health.

16 Jun 2012

Six-month data from ReCor’s PARADISE System trial on resistant hypertension

ReCor Medical, an emerging medical device company, reported today six-month follow-up data on eight patients who have been treated via renal denervation for their resistant hypertension with the Company's PARADISE System—the only system for renal denervation that is based on ultrasound, not radiofrequency, energy.

16 Jun 2012

Glutathione peroxidase can dramatically reduce risk of cardiovascular disease

University of Minnesota Medical School researchers have collaborated with the School of Public Health and discovered an enzyme that, when found at high levels and alongside low levels of HDL (good cholesterol), can dramatically reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

16 Jun 2012

Research examines link between metabolic syndrome and cognitive disorders

No effective treatments are currently available for the prevention or cure of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most frequent form of dementia in the elderly. The most recognized risk factors, advancing age and having the apolipoprotein E Ɛ4 gene, cannot be modified or treated. Increasingly, scientists are looking toward other risk factors to identify preventive and therapeutic strategies.

15 Jun 2012