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).

Staying stress free in your twenties reduces high blood pressure risk later on

Avoiding stress in your 20's could reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure in middle age, according to a report in today's issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

22 Jun 2004

Exercise helps overweight men with erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction is known to decrease the quality of life in men, and may affect as many as 30 million men in the United States alone, according to the new study. In a previous study, moderate-to-severe erectile dysfunction was reported by 12 percent of men below the age of 59; 22 percent of men aged 60 to 69 years; and 30 percent of 69 years and older.

22 Jun 2004

No beneficial medical effects from liposuction

Liposuction is no substitute for dieting when it comes to preventing diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

16 Jun 2004

Women are more likely than men to die from aortic dissection or tearing

Women are more likely than men to die from aortic dissection,a tear in the inner wall of the aorta, according to one of the first studies of its kind reported in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

16 Jun 2004

Results from study of Rituxan in rheumatoid arthritis show promise

Genentech, Inc., Biogen Idec and Roche have announced that the New England Journal of Medicine published the results of a Phase IIa study showing that two doses of Rituxan® (Rituximab), administered two weeks apart, improved symptoms in patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for up to 48 weeks when combined with methotrexate (MTX), compared to MTX alone.

16 Jun 2004

Lower rates of sudden death among women may be related to gender differences in heart arrhythmias

Lower rates of sudden death among women may be related to gender differences in heart arrhythmias, rather than to other heart disease factors or treatments, hypertension, diabetes or other measured variables, according to a new study in the June 16, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

16 Jun 2004

African Americans more at risk of kidney disease

The National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) today began its first national effort to call attention to the seriousness of kidney disease and the importance of testing those at high risk, particularly African Americans, a group hit especially hard.

15 Jun 2004

High resolution imaging greatly aids physicians treating irregular heart beats

The findings of a new study published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology demonstrate that the use of high resolution imaging can greatly aid physicians who are treating patients suffering from a particular type of irregular heart beat.

15 Jun 2004

Education improves health situation in Puerto Rico

The health situation of people in Puerto Rico is improving markedly as a result of better promotion and education efforts, according to Dr. Johnny V. Rullán, secretary of health of Puerto Rico.

15 Jun 2004

Eye drops may prevent the onset of glaucoma in African Americans

Eye drops that reduce elevated pressure inside the eye can delay or possibly prevent the onset of glaucoma in African Americans at higher risk for developing the disease, researchers have found.

14 Jun 2004

65 percent of America’s adults are overweight and 31 percent of adults are obese and at risk for chronic diseases

Government and private sector health experts now estimate that 65 percent of America’s adults are overweight and 31 percent of adults are obese and at risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. The link between obesity and hypertension is well known, but the exact nature of the association between the two disorders remains unclear.

11 Jun 2004

Home monitoring of high blood pressure gives patients better control

Patients with high blood pressure (hypertension) who monitor their blood pressure at home have better control of their condition, according to a new study available on bmj.com and being presented at the European Society of Hypertension in Paris on 16th June.

11 Jun 2004

Study looks at between inhalation of small particles, reduced heart rate variability and death

A study by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and partners might help explain whether there is a relationship between inhalation of small particles, reduced heart rate variability and death.

7 Jun 2004

Overweight families unaware & unconcerned about risk of diabetes and premature heart disease

Two new studies show that many children are at high risk for diabetes and premature heart disease, according to British and U.S. reports here today at the American Diabetes Association's 64th Annual Scientific Sessions.

5 Jun 2004

Crucial discovery may help better diagnose and treat children with Hirschsprung disease

Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have made a crucial discovery that may help physicians better diagnose and treat children with Hirschsprung disease, a debilitating and sometimes life-threatening ailment that causes bowel obstruction and involves an array of genetic changes.

5 Jun 2004

Polycystic ovary syndrome more common than originally thought

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the University of Alabama, Birmingham, have found that a complex hormonal disorder affecting the reproductive and metabolic function of premenopausal women may be considerably more common in the United States than previously believed from earlier, smaller studies.

5 Jun 2004

Parents oblivious to their children's weight problems

5 Jun 2004

Uterine cancer, also called endometrial cancer, will strike more than 40,000 U.S. women annually

A Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) study, headed by Cornelia Trimble, M.D. of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, has revealed that pathologists who evaluate uterine biopsies disagree 60 percent of the time on whether the specimens contain cancerous cells.

3 Jun 2004

Avastin study shows significant improvement in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

Genentech, Inc. and Roche have announced that the New England Journal of Medicine published the first Phase III study of an anti-angiogenesis cancer therapy, showing that the addition of Avastin™ (bevacizumab) to the IFL chemotherapy regimen (5-FU/Leucovorin/ CPT-11) significantly extended survival in patients with first-line (previously untreated) metastatic colorectal cancer.

2 Jun 2004

Improving blood pressure control of people 80 years and older

Improved blood pressure control of people 80 years and older, especially women, must be made a national priority, a Northwestern University researcher urged at the American Society of Hypertension’s 19th Annual Scientific Meeting in May.

2 Jun 2004