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).

Study: Worldwide prevalence of obesity has nearly doubled since 1980

The worldwide prevalence of obesity has nearly doubled since 1980, according to a major study on how three important heart disease risk factors have changed across the world over the last three decades. The study, published today in three papers in the Lancet, looked at all available global data to assess how body mass index, blood pressure and cholesterol changed between 1980 and 2008.

4 Feb 2011

American Society of Nephrology supports US Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) supports the recommendations, which include advising Americans to reduce their daily salt intake. The recommendations encourage nearly half of Americans to drastically reduce their salt intake.

3 Feb 2011

Generic drugs to treat hypertension, heart failure could help NHS save £200 million

Using a generic drug to treat hypertension and heart failure, instead of branded medicines from the same class, could save the UK National Health Service (NHS) at least £200 million in 2011 without any real reduction in clinical benefits.

3 Feb 2011

Lead exposure can lead to high blood pressure in pregnant women: Study

Even minute amounts of lead may take a toll on pregnant women, according to a study published by Lynn Goldman, M.D., M.S., M.P.H., Dean of George Washington University's School of Public Health and Health Services in D.C., and colleagues, in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

3 Feb 2011

Losartan improves effectiveness of nanotherapeutics against cancer

Low doses of an inexpensive, FDA-approved hypertension medication may improve the results of nanotherapeutic approaches to cancer treatment. In a report in the early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators describe experiments showing that the generic drug losartan, by modifying the network of collagen fibers that characterizes most solid tumors, improved the effectiveness of two nanotherapeutics against several types of cancer.

3 Feb 2011

Zebrafish research findings may provide potential to improve kidney function in humans

It is estimated that up to 10 percent of the U.S. population may have some form of renal disease, with 450,000 patients with end stage renal disease requiring hemodialysis. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Pittsburgh have identified a cell in zebrafish that can be transplanted from one fish to another to regenerate nephrons, providing the potential to improve kidney function.

2 Feb 2011

“Enjoy your food but eat less”: Latest Dietary guidelines

New federal dietary guidelines, released Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services lays down some new rules in healthy eating that include consuming less empty calories, less salt and at least half a plate full of fruits and vegetables a day.

1 Feb 2011

Fortis Hospital specialists in Mumbai successfully perform gastric bypass surgery in American patient

Specialists at Fortis Hospitals Mumbai successfully diagnosed and treated a previously undetected pituitary tumor in Michelle Hardin, a 35 year-old American medical traveler.

1 Feb 2011

Spanish language soap opera to focus on obesity crisis

New episodes of a critically acclaimed, locally-produced Spanish language soap opera will focus on the obesity crisis in hopes of helping viewers better understand what causes obesity and how they can live healthier lives.

29 Jan 2011

FDA approves Mylan's ANDA for ER Tablets

Mylan today announced that its subsidiary Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its Abbreviated New Drug Application for Nisoldipine Extended-release Tablets, 8.5 mg, 17 mg, 25.5 mg and 34 mg.

29 Jan 2011

Arena reduces workforce by 25% and provides update on lorcaserin

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today a reduction of its US workforce of approximately 25%, or 66 employees. As a result of the workforce reduction, which Arena plans to complete around March 28, 2011, the company expects to incur restructuring charges, primarily in the first quarter of 2011, of approximately $3.8 million in connection with one-time employee termination costs.

28 Jan 2011

Study identifies gaps in primary health care for seniors with multiple chronic conditions

The number of health care services seniors use is determined more by the number of chronic conditions they have than by their age, according to a new study from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

28 Jan 2011

Study aims to determine risk of dementia, cognitive decline in middle-aged people

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers are co-leading a national study to examine whether middle-aged people's physical health influences their risk of dementia later in life.

28 Jan 2011

Study finds surgery greatly reduces daytime sleepiness in sleep apnea patients

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea who undergo surgery to improve their breathing get a better night's sleep and therefore are less drowsy during the day, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

27 Jan 2011

Interferon-alpha associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis in patients with SLE

Researchers in China have demonstrated interferon-alpha (IFN-α) is associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). For the first time, IFN-α priming was shown to promote lipid uptake and foam cell formation—a crucial step in plaque build-up. This activation of the IFN signaling pathway may be linked to the premature atherosclerosis risk in SLE.

27 Jan 2011

Scientists discover new mechanism neurons use to fine-tune electrical output

Scientists in the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, have discovered a new mechanism that nerve cells (neurons) use to fine-tune their electrical output. The exciting discovery, published this week in the prestigious journal Nature Neuroscience, provides new insights about how the activity of the nervous system is regulated at the cellular level.

27 Jan 2011

Traffic noise and stroke risk: Study

A new study shows that traffic noise may increase the risk of stroke, particularly for older individuals. The study looked at the association between road traffic noise and stroke in more than 51,000 Danish people and found that for every 10-decibel increase in noise level, the risk of stroke increased by 14 percent. In those over 65, the risk of stroke increased 27 percent.

26 Jan 2011

Middle-aged women could reduce risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering blood pressure

Large numbers of middle-aged women worldwide could reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease (stroke, heart attack and heart failure) and its complications by lowering their blood pressure, researchers report in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

25 Jan 2011

American Heart Association: Cost of medical care for heart disease to raise in US by 2030

The cost to treat heart disease in the United States will triple by 2030, according to a policy statement published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

25 Jan 2011

Researchers discover new treatment for difficult-to-control high blood pressure

Researchers were surprised to discover what may be a potential new treatment for difficult-to-control high blood pressure, according to a case report published in the January 25, 2011, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

25 Jan 2011

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) News and Research

Further Reading

Study: Worldwide prevalence of obesity has nearly doubled since 1980

American Society of Nephrology supports US Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010

Generic drugs to treat hypertension, heart failure could help NHS save £200 million

Lead exposure can lead to high blood pressure in pregnant women: Study

Losartan improves effectiveness of nanotherapeutics against cancer

Zebrafish research findings may provide potential to improve kidney function in humans

“Enjoy your food but eat less”: Latest Dietary guidelines

Fortis Hospital specialists in Mumbai successfully perform gastric bypass surgery in American patient

Spanish language soap opera to focus on obesity crisis

FDA approves Mylan's ANDA for ER Tablets

Arena reduces workforce by 25% and provides update on lorcaserin

Study identifies gaps in primary health care for seniors with multiple chronic conditions

Study aims to determine risk of dementia, cognitive decline in middle-aged people

Study finds surgery greatly reduces daytime sleepiness in sleep apnea patients

Interferon-alpha associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis in patients with SLE

Scientists discover new mechanism neurons use to fine-tune electrical output

Traffic noise and stroke risk: Study

Middle-aged women could reduce risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering blood pressure

American Heart Association: Cost of medical care for heart disease to raise in US by 2030

Researchers discover new treatment for difficult-to-control high blood pressure

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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