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).

Glaucoma associated with increased risk of cardiovascular death in black patients

Black patients with diagnosed and treated glaucoma and those with high pressure in their eyes appear to have an increased risk of death from cardiovascular causes, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

11 Mar 2008

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension leads to vision loss more often in blacks

Black people are more likely to lose vision as a result of idiopathic intracranial hypertension, or increased pressure in the brain, according to a study published in the March 11, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

11 Mar 2008

Guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy should be revised

Current recommendations for weight gain during pregnancy - developed by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1990 - should be revised, according to an internationally recognized obesity expert and chairman of obstetrics, gynecology and women’s health at Saint Louis University.

10 Mar 2008

The potential for cannabinoids as medicines

Smokers trying to quit in the future could do it with the help of cannabis based medicines, according to research from The University of Nottingham.

10 Mar 2008

Researchers discover molecular pathway in blood vessels that controls blood pressure and vascular function

University of Iowa researchers have identified a molecular pathway in blood vessels that controls blood pressure and vascular function and may help explain why certain drugs for type II diabetes also appear to lower patients' blood pressure.

6 Mar 2008

New potential drug target for atherosclerosis

A nuclear receptor protein, known for controlling the ability of cells to burn fat, also exerts powerful anti-inflammatory effects in arteries, suppressing atherosclerosis in mice prone to developing the harmful plaques, according to new research by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the Harvard School of Public Health.

6 Mar 2008

Alcohol may increase blood pressure to a much greater extent than previously thought

Previous observational studies have reported that heavy alcohol intake is a risk factor for hypertension but such studies may be confounded by factors such as diet, smoking, exercise levels and socio-economic position.

6 Mar 2008

Alcohol and blood pressure

A new study published in PLoS Medicine shows that individuals who drink on a regular basis have a systolic blood pressure around 7 mmHg higher than that of people who do not drink.

6 Mar 2008

Combination therapy of Prostacyclin, Sildenafil and Bosentan may treat portopulmonary hypertension

Combination therapy of Prostacyclin, Sildenafil, and Bosentan helped a young male patient with severe portopulmonary hypertension improve enough to receive a liver transplant.

6 Mar 2008

Researchers working to curb impulsivity in children with ADHD

Central Michigan University researchers are one step closer to helping children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder improve their self-control.

4 Mar 2008

Bardet-Biedl syndrome provides clues on obesity, blood pressure

University of Iowa researchers have found a clue about how resistance to the hormone leptin might disrupt the brain signals that tell the body when to stop eating.

4 Mar 2008

Clinical depression raises risk of death for heart attack patients years after attack

Depressed heart attack patients have a higher risk for sudden death in the months following a heart attack.

4 Mar 2008

Hypertension linked to heavy drinking

According to British researchers the relationship between heavy drinking and high blood pressure is more significant than previously thought.

4 Mar 2008

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) releases appraisal consultation document on treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension in adults

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published on its website the preliminary recommendations of its Appraisal Committee on the use of epoprostenol, iloprost, bosentan, sitaxentan and sildenafil for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension in adults.

3 Mar 2008

Snoring linked to cardiovascular disease, increased health-care utilization

Loud snoring with breathing pauses is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and increased health care utilization, according to a study published in the March 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.

3 Mar 2008

Simple screening questionnaire for kidney disease outperforms current clinical practice guidelines

The general public is not sufficiently aware that chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious and progressive medical condition.

1 Mar 2008

Low-fat better than low-carb diets for heart health

Low-fat diets are more effective in preserving and promoting a healthy cardiovascular system than low-carbohydrate, Atkins'-like diets, according to a new study by researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

1 Mar 2008

Urine protein microalbuminuria may be present before hypertension diagnosis in at-risk adolescents

A protein that is an early indicator of kidney dysfunction in adults may predict hypertension in black adolescents, Medical College of Georgia researchers have found.

28 Feb 2008

Forest Laboratories to develop and distribute the novel beta blocker Bystolic (nebivolol)

Mylan Inc. has announced that it and Forest Laboratories Holdings, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Forest Laboratories, Inc. have amended their January 2006 agreement to commercialize, develop and distribute the novel beta blocker Bystolic (nebivolol), which is currently approved in the United States for the treatment of hypertension.

28 Feb 2008

Are cataract rates on the decline?

Should glaucoma patients seeking alternative therapies trust what they find online? Are seatbelts still important to protect eyes in auto accidents, now that most cars have airbags? What's the connection between hearing loss and one form of glaucoma? These are among the topics explored in the March 2008 issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

28 Feb 2008

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) News and Research

Further Reading

Glaucoma associated with increased risk of cardiovascular death in black patients

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension leads to vision loss more often in blacks

Guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy should be revised

The potential for cannabinoids as medicines

Researchers discover molecular pathway in blood vessels that controls blood pressure and vascular function

New potential drug target for atherosclerosis

Alcohol may increase blood pressure to a much greater extent than previously thought

Alcohol and blood pressure

Combination therapy of Prostacyclin, Sildenafil and Bosentan may treat portopulmonary hypertension

Researchers working to curb impulsivity in children with ADHD

Bardet-Biedl syndrome provides clues on obesity, blood pressure

Clinical depression raises risk of death for heart attack patients years after attack

Hypertension linked to heavy drinking

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) releases appraisal consultation document on treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension in adults

Snoring linked to cardiovascular disease, increased health-care utilization

Simple screening questionnaire for kidney disease outperforms current clinical practice guidelines

Low-fat better than low-carb diets for heart health

Urine protein microalbuminuria may be present before hypertension diagnosis in at-risk adolescents

Forest Laboratories to develop and distribute the novel beta blocker Bystolic (nebivolol)

Are cataract rates on the decline?

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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