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).

Meditation and walking can help lower BP and heart rate

Simple, low-cost measures such as wearing a pedometer to inspire walking and spending a few minutes a day meditating can put adolescents on the track toward better health, researchers report.

16 Mar 2010

NKF: Certain ethnic minorities are at higher risk for developing CKD

Certain ethnic minorities, including African Americans and Hispanics, are at a higher risk than the general population for developing potentially life-threatening chronic kidney disease (CKD), which has been linked to higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

16 Mar 2010

Metabolic drugs top the list of prescription drug expenses for elderly Medicare beneficiaries

Purchases of cholesterol and diabetes prescription drugs by elderly Medicare beneficiaries reached nearly $19 billion in 2007 - about one-fourth of the approximately $82 billion spent for medications for the elderly, according to the latest AHRQ News and Numbers.

16 Mar 2010

High ABI may indicate risk for future heart attacks

The prevalence of abnormal ankle-brachial index (ABI) test results among individuals tested for peripheral arterial disease (PAD)—and who are not considered at high risk of a coronary heart event by Framingham-based risk factors—is high and provides another way to identify those who may be at risk for future heart attacks, say researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

15 Mar 2010

Valsartan delays progression to type 2 diabetes in IGT patients: NAVIGATOR study

Results from a landmark study involving more than 9,000 people showed that the high blood pressure medicine valsartan delayed progression to type 2 diabetes in patients with cardiovascular disease or risk factors and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), a common pre-diabetic condition.

15 Mar 2010

ATS releases new clinical policy statement on CCHS

The American Thoracic Society has released a new official clinical policy statement on congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS), a disorder of respiratory and autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulation. The ANS regulates reflexive acts, including heart rate and blood pressure, digestion, body temperature and pain perception.

15 Mar 2010

Data from ACCORD Lipid study: Abbott issues statement

Results were presented today on behalf of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute from ACCORD, a study in patients with diabetes that evaluated cardiovascular outcomes in three distinct studies – glycemic control, blood pressure control and lipid control.

15 Mar 2010

Regadenoson drug is safe for heart transplant patients: Study

The drug regadenoson is safe and poses fewer side effects than the conventional medication used during a cardiac nuclear stress test of heart transplant patients, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study.

15 Mar 2010

Researchers develop Intermountain Risk Score tool to assess patients' health

Researchers from the Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah, have devised a better way to determine an individual's risk for problems, such as heart attack and heart failure, according to a new study.

15 Mar 2010

Data shows increased risk of heart attack, stroke for patients having high blood pressure

For patients with diabetes and heart disease, less isn't always more - at least when it comes to blood pressure.

15 Mar 2010

Combination therapy does not reduce cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetes patients

Lowering blood pressure to normal levels - below currently recommended levels - did not significantly reduce the combined risk of fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular disease events in adults with type 2 diabetes who were at especially high risk for cardiovascular disease events, according to new results from the landmark Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) clinical trial.

15 Mar 2010

Telemonitoring may reduce mortality of heart failure patients by 20%

Telemonitoring may reduce the mortality of patients with heart failure by 20%. Silke Schmidt et al. present their study results in the current issue of Deutsches -rzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2010; 107[8]131-8).

12 Mar 2010

Flu infection during pregnancy may increase risk of schizophrenia in offspring

Rhesus monkey babies born to mothers who had the flu while pregnant had smaller brains and showed other brain changes similar to those observed in human patients with schizophrenia, a study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has found.

12 Mar 2010

BDNF could someday play significant role in prevention of high blood pressure: Study

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University's School of Dentistry (www.ohsu.edu/sod) have discovered that nitric oxide is a powerful regulator of a molecule that plays a critical role in the development and function of the nervous system. The finding could someday play a significant role in the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure, which affects about one in three adults in the United States.

12 Mar 2010

Genentech announces topline results from Phase III trial of Avastin

Genentech, Inc., a wholly owned member of the Roche Group, announced today the topline results of a Phase III trial led by the U.S. Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) and sponsored by the National Cancer Institute investigating the use of Avastin® (bevacizumab) in combination with docetaxel chemotherapy and prednisone in men with late stage prostate cancer (hormone-refractory / HRPC).

12 Mar 2010

Intel, Mayo Clinic and GE launch new initiative to study care and benefits of home-based telemedicine

Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc. was pleased on learning the news that Intel, The Mayo Clinic and GE Healthcare have launched a new initiative to study the care and cost benefits of home-based telemedicine for elderly patients with chronic illnesses.

11 Mar 2010

Collaborative center established to reduce obesity-related deaths in African-American and Latino communities

A $6 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has funded the creation of ORBIT: Obesity Related Behavioral Intervention Trials to focus on reducing obesity and obesity-related deaths in New York City's African-American and Latino communities.

11 Mar 2010

Age-related macular degeneration affects central vision in older Americans

Indianapolis resident Harry Traugott was an active retiree, participating in community events, driving and even teaching English as a second language at two community centers. He’d been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but the disease had not caused significant vision loss. It wasn’t until he had trouble seeing while driving, watching television

11 Mar 2010

A new way to control blood pressure

The control of blood pressure is central to people's wellbeing. One in three Australians suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension), a condition which can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke and kidney failure.

11 Mar 2010

Lithera announces positive results from Phase IIa clinical study of LIPO-102

Lithera, Inc. today announced positive results from a Phase IIa clinical study of LIPO-102, its novel injectable combination of salmeterol xinafoate (SX) and fluticasone propionate (FP) for selective, non-ablative fat reduction.

11 Mar 2010