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).

People with prehypertension are at much higher risk of heart attack

Normal blood pressure is lower than 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Prehypertension is systolic blood pressure between 120 and 139 and/or diastolic pressure between 80 and 89 mm Hg. (Systolic pressure is the force in the arteries when the heart beats and diastolic pressure is the force when the heart is at rest.) Hypertension is blood pressure 140/90 mm Hg or higher.

4 Aug 2005

Updated view of global nutrition

While nutritional status has improved worldwide over the past fifty years, new nutrition-related problems have also emerged. In an article recently published in The Journal of Nutrition, Eileen Kennedy DSc, RD, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, offers an updated view of global nutrition.

4 Aug 2005

Masked hypertension poses hidden hazard

Patients with "masked" hypertension that is not detected by routine office blood pressure measurements appear to have stroke and death rates similar to that of patients with sustained high blood pressure; whereas patients with so-called "white coat" hypertension appear to have no greater risk than people with normal blood pressure, according to a new study in the Aug. 2, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

2 Aug 2005

Researchers unravel control of growing blood vessels

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered a basic mechanism by which smooth muscle cells that line the blood vessels can grow - sometimes abnormally - suggesting methods of treatment for various coronary diseases.

1 Aug 2005

Heparinase I is not a suitable replacement for protamine

The results of an international clinical trial led by Duke University Medical Center researchers has shown that a new drug is not a suitable replacement for protamine, a drug that has been used for more than 40 years after coronary artery bypass surgery to return thinned blood to its normal state.

1 Aug 2005

Controlling high blood pressure in individuals age 80 years and older has become a major national health problem

The study found that almost three fourths of those 80 years and older have hypertension -- blood pressure greater than 140 systolic over greater than 90 diastolic. Fewer than 10 percent have "normal" blood pressure levels -- less than 120 systolic over less than 80 diastolic.

26 Jul 2005

Study shows that while the rate of high blood pressure increased with age, numbers of people receiving treatment for the condition did not

Nearly two-thirds of men and women age 80 and older have high blood pressure, but their conditions are frequently not kept under control, according to new data from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) long-standing Framingham Heart Study.

26 Jul 2005

Breathing in large quantities of salt particles has just the same effect on blood pressure as eating a salty diet

Workers in salt factories, who inhale large amounts of salt particles, are at risk of high blood pressure due to the increased salt intake.

25 Jul 2005

Less than 1 percent of health plan members are actually diagnosed with alcoholism or related disorders

Less than 1 percent of health plan members are actually diagnosed with alcoholism or related disorders, according to data from a national performance measurement project released today in New York City at the American Medical Association Media Briefing, Alcohol Dependence: From Science to Solutions.

24 Jul 2005

Researchers discover type of "fuel" that the heart uses can contribute to the severity of heart failures

Researchers have determined how metabolic pathways differ between healthy and failing hearts. Normally, a heart derives its energy from a balance of fatty acids and carbohydrates, specifically glucose.

21 Jul 2005

Does the heart contain stem cells that are self-renewing?

If you've ever used a loofah in the shower, you've stirred up some stem cells. As the outer layer of skin sloughs off, stem cells in the dermis rush to repair and replace those buffed away.

21 Jul 2005

Maintaining a healthy weight in children may be one good way to keep a healthy blood lipid profile and a happy heart

A study of 400 high school age children with a variety of fitness and fatness levels showed that fatter youths had unfavorable lipid profiles, including higher levels of triglycerides and higher ratios of total cholesterol to the protective HDL cholesterol or high density lipoprotein.

21 Jul 2005

Metformin should be in the first line of defense against type 2 diabetes

A new review of studies confirms that the drug metformin should be in the first line of defense against type 2 diabetes. Using metformin alone can improve control of blood glucose, while also reducing risk factors for heart disease such as excess body weight, cholesterol levels and hypertension, the review found.

20 Jul 2005

Insulin resistance increases a person's risk for development of congestive heart failure

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a major cause of illness and death, according to background information in the article. The death rate for patients with CHF is 4 to 8 times that of the general population. The predominant causes of heart failure are hypertension and coronary heart disease.

19 Jul 2005

Study provides evidence that hormone treatments can be beneficial to limiting cardiovascular ailments

UC Irvine School of Medicine researchers have identified how estrogen helps prevents a cardiac ailment often seen in women who have heart attacks. This research provides further evidence that hormone replacement therapy after menopause can help prevent certain forms of cardiovascular disease in women.

19 Jul 2005

News we always wanted to hear - Chocolate does you good!

In the best news yet for chocolate lovers, a new study has apparently shown that dark chocolate can lower blood pressure.

19 Jul 2005

Nebivolol may help control high blood pressure

According to research presented at ISHIB2005, nebivolol was shown to be statistically significantly better than placebo in reducing systolic and diastolic blood pressure among African-American hypertensive patients in a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

18 Jul 2005

A new study shows that the number of Americans who had weight-loss surgery quadrupled between 1998 and 2002

A new study shows that the number of Americans who had weight-loss surgery quadrupled between 1998 and 2002.

13 Jul 2005

Obese men may not process carbohydrates as efficiently as obese women

Obese men may not process carbohydrates as efficiently as obese women, a condition that can, ultimately, lead to a decrease in fitness level and the development of metabolic disorders.

12 Jul 2005

Obese men may not process carbohydrates as efficiently as obese women

A new study published in the July issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), showed that severely obese men were more carbohydrate intolerant and had less physical endurance than severely obese women, leading researchers to believe that gender plays a strong role in physical fitness and a person's ability to metabolize carbohydrates.

11 Jul 2005

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) News and Research

Further Reading

People with prehypertension are at much higher risk of heart attack

Updated view of global nutrition

Masked hypertension poses hidden hazard

Researchers unravel control of growing blood vessels

Heparinase I is not a suitable replacement for protamine

Controlling high blood pressure in individuals age 80 years and older has become a major national health problem

Study shows that while the rate of high blood pressure increased with age, numbers of people receiving treatment for the condition did not

Breathing in large quantities of salt particles has just the same effect on blood pressure as eating a salty diet

Less than 1 percent of health plan members are actually diagnosed with alcoholism or related disorders

Researchers discover type of "fuel" that the heart uses can contribute to the severity of heart failures

Does the heart contain stem cells that are self-renewing?

Maintaining a healthy weight in children may be one good way to keep a healthy blood lipid profile and a happy heart

Metformin should be in the first line of defense against type 2 diabetes

Insulin resistance increases a person's risk for development of congestive heart failure

Study provides evidence that hormone treatments can be beneficial to limiting cardiovascular ailments

News we always wanted to hear - Chocolate does you good!

Nebivolol may help control high blood pressure

A new study shows that the number of Americans who had weight-loss surgery quadrupled between 1998 and 2002

Obese men may not process carbohydrates as efficiently as obese women

Obese men may not process carbohydrates as efficiently as obese women

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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