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.

Medicaid-insured kids with anorexia face longer hospital stays

Medicaid-insured kids with anorexia hospitalized for medical stabilization remain in hospital longer than peers with private insurance despite similar illness severity, according to a study from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago published in the Journal of Eating Disorders.

9 Sep 2025

New trial shows benefit of digitoxin in patients with severe heart failure symptoms

Digitoxin reduced the risk of a composite of all-cause death and hospitalization for worsening heart failure (HF) among patients with advanced HF and a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), according to a late-breaking trial presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2025.

1 Sep 2025

Gut mast cells produce key molecules driving food allergy anaphylaxis

Food allergies affect more than half a billion people worldwide. In severe cases, even a small bite of the wrong food can trigger anaphylaxis - a rapid, body-wide allergic reaction that can cause difficulty breathing, a dangerous drop in blood pressure and even death.

28 Aug 2025

Online cognitive behavioral therapy shows promise for treating bulimia nervosa

Bulimia nervosa (BN), or bulimia, is a mental health disorder characterized by binge eating and a fear of gaining weight, which drives people to try and avoid weight gain, usually by compensatory (vomiting etc.).

27 Aug 2025

Addressing avoidable hospitalizations in terminally ill nursing home residents

Hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits can be distressing and costly for nursing home residents – especially those who are severely impaired or terminally ill. Despite their vulnerability, these individuals are frequently transferred to hospitals, even though up to 40% of such transfers over the past 25 years are considered potentially avoidable by health care professionals.

25 Jul 2025

HonorHealth study shows major breakthrough in treating structural shock

An 8-year HonorHealth Research Institute clinical trial, using non-surgical techniques, showed 86% of patients with a type of usually fatal low blood pressure known as 'structural shock' survived at least 3 months, while 73% survived at least 6 months, according to a study presented here at a major heart convention.

27 Jun 2025

Statins linked to lower death rates in critically ill sepsis patients

Sepsis is when the immune system overshoots its inflammatory reaction to an infection, so strongly that the vital organs begin to shut down.

6 Jun 2025

Two blood pressure management strategies yield similar cognitive outcomes after non-cardiac surgery

A large international study has found that two different approaches to managing blood pressure in older adults undergoing non-cardiac surgery, one avoiding low blood pressure (hypotension) and the other high blood pressure (hypertension), lead to similar outcomes in terms of in-hospital delirium and cognitive changes one year after surgery.

4 Jun 2025

USPSTF urges universal syphilis screening in pregnancy to prevent congenital infections

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) reaffirms its recommendation for universal syphilis screening in pregnancy, citing strong evidence for early detection and prevention of congenital syphilis. Despite ongoing disparities and rising rates, early screening and treatment remain essential to improving outcomes for mothers and infants.

18 May 2025

High cholesterol may not signal heart disease risk in metabolically healthy people

The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, in collaboration with researchers across multiple institutions, has published a new study that challenges the long-held belief that high cholesterol correlates and even directly causes coronary artery disease, or plaque buildup in the arteries in metabolically healthy individuals.

7 Apr 2025

Study finds no benefit of early IABP use in cardiogenic shock patients

Compared with standard medical care, early use of a temporary intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) to support heart function in patients who were critically ill with cardiogenic shock caused by heart failure did not improve 60-day survival or enable more patients to successfully transition to long-term treatment, according to featured clinical research presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25) and simultaneously published in JACC

31 Mar 2025

Heart failure patients benefit from dapagliflozin after TAVR procedure

Patients with heart failure who took dapagliflozin, a sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor, after undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) were significantly less likely to die or experience worsening heart failure at one year compared with patients who did not take the drug, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session.

31 Mar 2025

Women with certain pregnancy blood pressure patterns face higher risk of hypertension

Women with blood pressure levels in a range considered clinically normal during pregnancy but no mid-pregnancy drop in blood pressure face an increased risk of developing hypertension in the five years after giving birth.

18 Mar 2025

Study: One in eight African hospital patients critically ill with high mortality

One in eight patients in hospitals in Africa is critically ill, and one in five of the critically ill die within a week, according to a new study in The Lancet.

27 Feb 2025

SPRINT analysis supports lower blood pressure targets for older adults

Results from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) have supported lower blood pressure targets among community-dwelling older adults with hypertension to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and early death, but intensive blood pressure lowering can also increase risks of developing acute kidney injury and experiencing dangerously low blood pressure.

19 Feb 2025

Neonatal care survey shows inadequate pain relief for premature babies

A large proportion of babies born very early need intensive care, which can be painful. But the healthcare system fails to provide pain relief to the full extent.

27 Jan 2025

Propranolol helps control Parkinson's tremors

The standard medication levodopa does not always work against tremors in Parkinson's disease, especially in stressful situations.

23 Dec 2024

Blood pressure fluctuations linked to problems with thinking and memory skills

Older adults whose blood pressure fluctuates over time may be more likely to have problems with thinking and memory skills, according to a study published in the December 11, 2024, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

11 Dec 2024

New advisory offers evidence-based strategies to prevent postoperative delirium in older adults

Delirium and cognitive decline are common complications of anesthesia and surgery in older adults.

10 Dec 2024

Research highlights key health benefits of drinking more water

Public health recommendations generally suggest drinking eight cups of water a day. And many people just assume it's healthy to drink plenty of water.

26 Nov 2024