Blood Pressure News and Research

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Blood Pressure is the force of circulating blood on the walls of the arteries. Blood pressure is taken using two measurements: systolic (measured when the heart beats, when blood pressure is at its highest) and diastolic (measured between heart beats, when blood pressure is at its lowest). Blood pressure is written with the systolic blood pressure first, followed by the diastolic blood pressure (for example 120/80).

RAS inhibitors and COVID-19 severity in hypertensive patients

A new study published in the journal JAMA Cardiology in April 2020 reports that patients with hypertension who are taking medications called ACE inhibitors (ACEI) or ARBs are not at higher risk for death or more severe illness with COVID-19. This conclusion supports current guidelines for the treatment of hypertension during this pandemic.

23 Apr 2020

People with metabolic syndrome can benefit from light physical exercise

Physical exercise can act prophylactically for people with the metabolic syndrome and protect them against cardiovascular diseases, a new study from the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, GIH, and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology reports.

23 Apr 2020

Infancy-onset dietary counseling has a positive impact on cardiovascular health

The Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project of the University of Turku, Finland, examines the benefits of promoting cardiovascular health by dietary counseling from infancy to early adulthood.

23 Apr 2020

Study raises questions about diagnoses of chronic traumatic encephalopathy

A postmortem exam of the brain remains the gold standard for diagnosing chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, the neurodegenerative brain disease believed to arise from repeated hits to the head.

23 Apr 2020

Meis1 protein plays key role in stopping cell division in the heart

UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists have discovered a protein that works with others during development to put the brakes on cell division in the heart, they report today in Nature.

23 Apr 2020

Salt substitution could prevent nearly half a million cardiovascular deaths in China

A nationwide intervention to replace regular household salt with potassium-enriched salt substitutes in China could prevent nearly half a million cardiovascular deaths per year, according to a new modelling study published in the British Medical Journal.

22 Apr 2020

COVID-19 and immunodeficiency

COVID-19 disease, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a highly infectious disease. As of today, over 170,000 people worldwide have succumbed to the infection. Reports have shown that some comorbidities and illnesses raise the risk of getting infected and also influence the severity of the disease. Having a compromised immune system can also drastically raise the risk of getting COVID-19.

21 Apr 2020

Does high COVID-19 viral load mean more risk of infection?

The risk of getting infected with COVID-19 disease is higher among healthcare workers who are in close contact with infected patients

21 Apr 2020

Role of ACE/ARB inhibitors in the treatment of COVID-19

A new opinion piece published in the journal Circulation Research in April 2020 defends the use of antihypertensive drugs called ACE inhibitors and ARBs in patients with pandemic viral pneumonia called COVID-19.

20 Apr 2020

Do ACE inhibitors increase SARS-CoV-2 binding to ACE2?

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced clinicians and academicians to intensive research to find evidence for many conventional therapies. A new round-up editorial published in the journal Cardiovascular Research in April 2020 summarizes the current clinical grounds for and against the use of the commonly used angiotensin axis inhibitors in patients with COVID-19.

20 Apr 2020

Hypertensive pregnancy disorders may lead to mental health conditions in children

Hypertensive pregnancy disorders, especially preeclampsia, a form of high blood pressure during pregnancy, may lead to adverse mental health conditions in children, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.

20 Apr 2020

Hypertensive pregnancy disorders may lead to mental health conditions in children

Hypertensive pregnancy disorders, especially preeclampsia, may lead to adverse mental health conditions in children.

20 Apr 2020

Study describes unconventional mechanism of ionic channel traffic in cardiac cells

Ionic channels -integral proteins in the cell membrane- are essential in several processes such as cardiac activity, nervous transmission, cell proliferation and the regulation of blood pressure.

18 Apr 2020

Study highlights gap between men and women who suffer from heart attack

Women are more likely to die after a heart attack than men because they are often not prescribed the drugs they need. That's the result of research presented today on ACVC Essentials 4U, a scientific platform of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

17 Apr 2020

Researchers find way to prevent spasticity after spinal cord injury in mice

In experiments with mice, researchers have studied neuronal mechanisms and found a way to by and large prevent spasticity from developing after spinal cord injuries.

16 Apr 2020

Trial to evaluate how blood pressure medications affect outcomes among COVID-19 patients

A new trial led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will evaluate whether the use of medications to treat high blood pressure affect outcomes among patients who are prescribed the medication and hospitalized with COVID-19.

16 Apr 2020

Review investigates stem cell therapy as potential new treatment for preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is the leading cause of death and disability, for both mothers and babies, killing approximately 76,000 mothers and 500,000 babies globally every year. Despite this, the only cure at present is to deliver the placenta and the baby, with the potential for long term complications.

16 Apr 2020