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.

FDA approves first drug for treating rare form of Batten disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Brineura (cerliponase alfa) as a treatment for a specific form of Batten disease. Brineura is the first FDA-approved treatment to slow loss of walking ability in symptomatic pediatric patients 3 years of age and older with late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2 (CLN2), also known as tripeptidyl peptidase-1 (TPP1) deficiency.

27 Apr 2017

Five ways to better prepare for planned or elective surgery

What's a tried-and-true way to prepare for surgery and anesthesia? By paying close attention to the healthcare professionals who will be delivering your care and providing them with essential information about your health status, history, and habits.

31 Mar 2017

FDA approves new therapy for adult patients with relapsing and primary progressive MS

On March 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) to treat adult patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS).

29 Mar 2017

High blood pressure not related to elevated mortality risk for older adults with weak grip strength

A study of nearly 7,500 Americans age 65 or older suggests that elevated blood pressure is not related to high mortality risk among people in that age group with weak grip strength.

28 Mar 2017

Endocrine Society releases new guideline to help diagnose and treat hypothalamic amenorrhea

Female athletes and women who have eating disorders are prone to developing a condition called hypothalamic amenorrhea that causes them to stop menstruating. The Endocrine Society today issued a Clinical Practice Guideline advising healthcare providers on ways to diagnose and treat this condition.

22 Mar 2017

Shortage of low blood pressure drug for patients with septic shock linked to elevated risk of death

Patients with septic shock admitted to hospitals affected by the 2011 shortage of the drug norepinephrine had a higher risk of in-hospital death, according to a study published online by JAMA.

21 Mar 2017

New stenting tool found to be less painful and cheaper than current methods

A new tool for assessing the narrowing of the heart's arteries was found to be as effective as current methods and less painful for patients.

21 Mar 2017

New iFR technique for assessing clogged arteries reduces discomfort and adverse events

For patients experiencing angina (chest pain) or a heart attack, a new tool called instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) was equivalent to the currently-preferred tool, fractional flow reserve (FFR), in terms of incidence of major adverse events according to two studies presented at the American College of Cardiology's 66th Annual Scientific Session. The studies also showed iFR resulted in markedly less patient discomfort and reduced procedure-related adverse events compared to FFR.

20 Mar 2017

Pre-existing immunity to dengue virus modulates T cell response to Zika infection

Although Zika and dengue are considered different virus "species," they are so closely related that the immune system treats Zika just like another version of dengue, report researchers at La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology.

13 Mar 2017

Intensive treatment to lower systolic blood pressure could lead to major reduction in mortality

Intensive treatment to lower systolic (top number) blood pressure to below 120 would prevent 107,500 deaths per year in the United States, according to a study by researchers at Loyola University Chicago and other centers.

23 Feb 2017

Intensive blood pressure control regimen could save more than 100,000 lives each year

Researchers have projected that aggressively lowering blood pressure could help prevent more than 100,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.

14 Feb 2017

New drug receives FDA approval to reduce risk of cardiovascular death in adults with diabetes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a new indication for Jardiance (empagliflozin) to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death in adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease.

2 Dec 2016

New article outlines reasons to stratify and report data by sex, gender or both

No one can deny that men and women have different genes, biology and anatomical features.

22 Nov 2016

FDA approves new therapy for initial treatment of soft tissue sarcoma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today granted accelerated approval to Lartruvo (olaratumab) with doxorubicin to treat adults with certain types of soft tissue sarcoma (STS), which are cancers that develop in muscles, fat, tendons or other soft tissues.

19 Oct 2016

Researchers unravel mystery of first Zika virus-related death in the continental U.S.

The first Zika virus-related death in the continental U.S. occurred in June of this year, but even now, months later, two aspects of this case continue to puzzle health experts.

28 Sep 2016

Intensive treatment to lower systolic blood pressure could save many lives

Intensive treatment to lower systolic (top number) blood pressure to below 120 would save more than 100,000 lives per year in the United States, according to a study led by Loyola University Chicago researcher Holly Kramer, MD, MPH.

15 Sep 2016

VIB-Ghent University research provides insights into septic shock

Researchers at VIB and Ghent University have discovered an important mechanism of sepsis, an overreaction of the body's immune system to an infection.

14 Sep 2016

Study urges caution when using BP-lowering treatment in patients with coronary artery disease

Caution has been urged in the use of blood pressure lowering treatment for heart disease patients after a study in more than 22 000 patients with coronary artery disease found that too low blood pressure was associated with worse outcomes. The analysis from the CLARIFY registry is presented today at ESC Congress and published in The Lancet.

30 Aug 2016

Revised blood pressure targets for diabetes patients may increase number of stroke patients

The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare recently raised the recommended target blood pressure for patients with diabetes.

23 Aug 2016

Study shows 1 in 5 hospitalized adults discharged with vital sign instabilities

Twenty percent of people hospitalized are released before all vital signs are stable, a pattern that is associated with an increased risk of death and hospital readmission, a new study by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers shows

10 Aug 2016