Low Blood Pressure News and Research

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Hypotension is low blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood. Blood pressure is measured as systolic and diastolic pressures. Systolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart beats while pumping blood. Diastolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart is at rest between beats. You will most often see blood pressure numbers written with the systolic number above or before the diastolic, such as 120/80 mmHg. (The mmHg is millimeters of mercury-the units used to measure blood pressure.) Normal blood pressure in adults is lower than 120/80 mmHg. Hypotension is blood pressure that's lower than 90/60 mmHg.

Research challenges the traditional explanation for the causes of diastolic heart failure

New research from Columbia University Medical Center is challenging the traditional explanation for the causes of the most common type of heart failure, traditionally called diastolic heart failure.

12 Apr 2005

Blood pressure control suggests new approach to hypertension therapy

The kidneys have long been known to play a major role in many cases of high blood pressure, but a new study by researchers at Duke University Medical Center reveals that the body's control of blood pressure depends as much on other organs in the body.

3 Apr 2005

Cannabis use may increase risk of stroke

Regular users of cannabis could be putting themselves at risk of stroke, while they are still young, indicates a case report, published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

20 Feb 2005

Drinking water could help people suffering from low blood pressure who faint while standing

Ordinary tap or bottled water could help people suffering from low blood pressure who faint while standing, claim researchers from Imperial College London and St Mary's Hospital.

1 Dec 2004

Black Sea coastal area of Turkey is prone to bouts of an unusual type of food poisoning from "mad" honey

The researchers detail 19 patients who all required emergency care in 2002 after eating local Turkish honey. The patients, whose ages ranged from 22 to 61, all had symptoms of nausea, vomiting, low blood pressure, slowed heart rate and fainting. Four of them had also sustained head injuries after falling.

21 Oct 2004

Small delay after birth when cutting umbilical cord of a premature baby appears to lessen chances of bleeding

Waiting 30 seconds to two minutes after birth to cut the umbilical cord of a premature baby appears to lessen chances of bleeding in the newborn’s brain and reduce the need for transfusions, according to a new review of research.

18 Oct 2004

Two new findings in the field of primary prevention for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

The first is that both high and low blood pressure increase the chances of developing dementia. The second is that an active and socially integrated lifestyle protects against dementia.

27 Aug 2004

Children who have severe allergic reactions when stung by bees should receive venom immunotherapy

Children who have severe allergic reactions when stung by bees, wasps and other insects should receive venom immunotherapy, or allergy shots, to reduce the chance of future life-threatening reactions if a repeat sting should occur, said an allergist at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

11 Aug 2004

One in five children who had allergic reactions when stung by a bee as a child are likely to have reactions later in life

Although the majority of children outgrow allergies to bee, wasp and other insect stings, almost one in five who had allergic reactions when stung as children - especially those who had serious allergic reactions - are likely to have reactions later in life, according to a study by Johns Hopkins scientists.

11 Aug 2004

Findings alleviate concerns of physicians reluctant to prescribe beta-blockers because of cardiovascular adverse effects

Beta-blocker therapy in patients with heart failure is well tolerated and associated with fewer overall withdrawals and less heart failure deterioration than placebo, according to a new article in the Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

13 Jul 2004

First successful gene therapy that mimics the action of calcium channel blockers

Their findings - published in the latest edition of Circulation Research, online July 8 - may lead to a gene therapy alternative to calcium channel blockers and their sometimes severe side effects, but also further interest in the development of gene therapies unique - as in this case - to one particular organ.

10 Jul 2004

Health Canada warning on Trazodone interaction with certain medications

Health Canada, in association with Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada, is advising Canadians to consult with their health care professionals if they are currently being treated with the antidepressant trazodone in combination with any of the following medications: ketoconazole (an antifungal agent), ritonavir and indinavir (protease inhibitors used in the treatment of HIV), or carbamazepine (an anti-epileptic therapy).

9 Jul 2004

Study comparing the efficacy of REMICADE® to Azathioprine alone and in combination With REMICADE®

Centocor, Inc., and Schering-Plough Corporation announced today the initiation of the SONIC (Study of Immunomodulator Naive patients in Crohn's Disease) trial that will evaluate the efficacy of REMICADE® (infliximab) versus azathioprine, a conventional immunosuppressive agent, alone and versus the combination of both drugs for the treatment of patients with Crohn's disease.

18 May 2004

Ritalin drug used to treat hyperactive children boosts the potency of Parkinson's drug levodopa

A well-known drug used to treat hyperactive children boosts the potency of another drug that reduces Parkinson's disease symptoms, an Oregon Health & Science University study has found.

6 May 2004

New teatment for intractable low blood pressure

Patients are generally pleased with a new Mayo Clinic drug treatment for a common form of impaired nerve transmission that causes dizziness and fainting when patients change position from lying down to standing up, and most want to continue using it.

28 Apr 2004

FDA approves new breakthrough Parkinson's drug

FDA has approved Apokyn (apomorphine) as an injectable drug for treating Parkinson's patients during episodes of "hypomobility," so-called "off periods" in which the patient becomes immobile or unable to perform activities of daily living.

21 Apr 2004

New developments in the treatment of pancreatic cancer

A booster dose of a substance already found in the body appears to be safe and non-toxic for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, and shows signs of arresting pancreatic cancer cell growth in patients, Penn State College of Medicine researchers report.

20 Apr 2004