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).

Rheumatoid arthritis linked to excess risk of congestive heart failure

A serious chronic disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by inflammation and damage of the joint, major organ involvement and increased mortality. Among patients, about one in three deaths results from cardiovascular disease (conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels).

3 Feb 2005

New understanding of the causes for symptoms of sickle cell disease

A new understanding of the causes for symptoms of sickle cell disease, a condition affecting one in every 600 African-Americans, has resulted from a study by researchers at Duke University Medical Center and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Their findings may lead to a new, more direct method for treating the disease, they said.

31 Jan 2005

No association between a herpesvirus infection and pulmonary hypertension

Contrary to the results of a recent U.S. study, investigators in Japan found no association between a herpesvirus infection and a potentially life-threatening form of high blood pressure, as reported in the March 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.

30 Jan 2005

Association between fitness and survival suggests a link between impaired oxygen metabolism and disease

Research published in the current issue of Science magazine reinforces the belief that aerobic capacity is an important determinant in the continuum between health and disease.

26 Jan 2005

High cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes and smoking may increase risk of dementia

High cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes and smoking have long been considered -- and aggressively treated -- as risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

25 Jan 2005

More studies on risks and benefits of COX-2 inhibitors

A group of studies published in the January 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine add to the growing body of medical literature about the cardiovascular risks that may be associated with the class of pain-relieving drugs known as COX-2 inhibitors.

24 Jan 2005

High blood pressure risk in African-Americans linked to genetics

National health records have shown that African-Americans are more prone to high blood pressure than Caucasians, but pinning down the roots of that difference has proven elusive. Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have narrowed down the search for genes that contribute to this difference in disease risk.

24 Jan 2005

Consumption of alcohol the risk of several common cancers

An article appearing in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis presents definite evidence of these findings amongst other papers as part of an open forum discussion on wine, alcohol, and cardiovascular risk.

19 Jan 2005

New research centre for the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease is one of the biggest contributors to the global burden of disease, and by 2020 will be the number one contributor according to figures from the World Health Organisation. In response, the International Centre for Circulatory Health (ICCH) has been set up by Imperial College London and St Mary’s NHS Trust as an international research centre to develop new treatments and preventative strategies for cardiovascular disease around the world.

19 Jan 2005

Higher folate intake decreases risk of hypertension in women

John P. Forman, M.D., of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston and colleagues analyzed data from two studies (93,803 younger women aged 27 to 44 years in the Nurses’ Health Study II [1991-1999] and 62,260 older women aged 43 to 70 years in the Nurses’ Health Study I [1990-1998]).

19 Jan 2005

Millions of Canadians at risk because of avoidable delays in diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure

New guidelines released by the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation reveal the health of millions of Canadians is being placed at risk because of avoidable delays in diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure (hypertension).

17 Jan 2005

1 billion people with high blood pressure by 2025

The proportion of the world’s adult population with high blood pressure is predicted to increase from a quarter to a third by 2025, totalling over one billion, conclude authors of a study published in this week’s issue of The LANCET.

13 Jan 2005

Government should plough drug savings into Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)

Doctors and medicine-makers today called for an expected $280 million Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) windfall to be ploughed into bringing down the price of new cancer and HIV drugs.

9 Jan 2005

Genetics may not be enough to explain the rates of high blood pressure in US African-American populations

The international study gives a different interpretation to the previous US data and suggests that high rates of hypertension might have more to do with lifestyle and socio-economic background than with racial origin.

5 Jan 2005

Sticking to one diet plan key to losing weight

A comparison of four popular diet plans finds that the key to losing weight may not be which diet plan a person picks, but sticking with the plan that is chosen, according to a study in the January 5 issue of JAMA.

5 Jan 2005

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrine disorder among reproductive-age women

The polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrine disorder among reproductive-age women, produces a wide variety of body changes with both physical and emotional implications for sufferers.

3 Jan 2005

Moderate physical exercise can stave off metabolic syndrome in people age 55 to 75

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have determined that in people age 55 to 75, a moderate program of physical exercise can significantly offset the potentially deadly mix of risk factors for heart disease and diabetes known as the metabolic syndrome.

30 Dec 2004

People with migraine headaches report more angina, but not more heart disease

People with a history of migraines and other headaches lasting at least four hours are more likely to report suffering from the chest pain doctors call angina than people who do not experience such headaches, a new University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study concludes.

28 Dec 2004

World Health Organization's new global report on iodine deficiency

The number of countries where iodine deficiency is a public health problem has halved over the past decade, says the World Health Organization (WHO) in a new global report on iodine status.

26 Dec 2004

Hirsute women most likely have androgen excess-related disorders, primarily polycystic ovary syndrome

Among women in their child-bearing years, even minimal amounts of unwanted hair in male-type patterns – especially in the presence of other subtle changes – may be a sign of a hormonal imbalance linked to a variety of serious side effects and medical conditions, according to the December 2004 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

23 Dec 2004