High Blood Pressure News and Research

Latest High Blood Pressure News and Research

Scientists identify mystery behind cell-signaling breakdown that causes heart failure

Working with lab animals and human heart cells, scientists from Johns Hopkins and other institutions have identified what they describe as "the long-sought culprit" in the mystery behind a cell-signaling breakdown that triggers heart failure. The condition, which affects nearly 6 million Americans and 23 million people worldwide, is marked by progressive weakening and stiffening of the heart muscle and the organ's gradual loss of blood-pumping ability.

19 Mar 2015

Spironolactone drug reduces side effects of corticosteroid-based dermatological creams

Basic research on blood pressure has led researchers from Inserm (Inserm Unit 1138, "Cordeliers Research Centre") to obtain unexpected results: drugs used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) reduce side effects from corticosteroid-based creams used to treat certain skin diseases.

19 Mar 2015

Health care system-level factors may increase likelihood of medication adherence among seniors

Specific system-level factors controlled by health care systems - including prescriptions with a medication supply greater than 90 days, mail-order pharmacy use, and lower copayments and out-of-pocket maximums - nearly doubled the likelihood that patients adhered to prescribed heart and diabetes medications, according to a new study published in the journal Medical Care.

18 Mar 2015

Increasing diet soda intake linked to greater abdominal obesity in older adults

A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society shows that increasing diet soda intake is directly linked to greater abdominal obesity in adults 65 years of age and older. Findings raise concerns about the safety of chronic diet soda consumption, which may increase belly fat and contribute to greater risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases.

17 Mar 2015

Study tracks long-term effects of weight loss on atrial fibrillation burden

Obese patients with atrial fibrillation who lost at least 10 percent of their body weight were six times more likely to achieve long-term freedom from this common heart rhythm disorder compared to those who did not lose weight, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 64th Annual Scientific Session.

17 Mar 2015

NYU Langone Medical Center researchers find that air pollution may pose significant stroke risk

Air pollution has been linked to a dangerous narrowing of neck arteries that occurs prior to strokes, according to researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center.

17 Mar 2015

Lancet study: Most people lack access to life-saving treatments for kidney failure

New estimates published in The Lancet indicate that at best only half of people worldwide needing kidney dialysis or transplantation to treat kidney failure in 2010 received it. This suggests that at least 2.3 million people may have died prematurely from kidney failure because they could not access this life-saving treatment.

17 Mar 2015

Combined use of enalapril and folic acid can significantly reduce risk of first stroke

In a study that included more than 20,000 adults in China with high blood pressure but without a history of stroke or heart attack, the combined use of the hypertension medication enalapril and folic acid, compared with enalapril alone, significantly reduced the risk of first stroke, according to a study appearing in JAMA. The study is being released to coincide with its presentation at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session.

16 Mar 2015

Guanabenz drug prevents myelin loss, alleviates symptoms of MS in animal models

An FDA-approved drug for high blood pressure, guanabenz, prevents myelin loss and alleviates clinical symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in animal models, according to a new study.

13 Mar 2015

Good night, sleep tight...or will you?

World Sleep Day is organized by the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) to spread awareness of important sleep-related issues through a series of special events. This year it is focussing on insomnia with the theme “When Sleep is Sound, Health and Happiness Abound”.

13 Mar 2015

New statin guidelines may be too generic, shows study

The newest guidelines for the use of cholesterol-lowering statins in people at risk of heart disease may be too generic, excluding middle-aged adults who could benefit from the drugs, and over-prescribing in older adults, according to a new study from the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

13 Mar 2015

Today’s “World Kidney Day” promotes kidney health for all

Recent surveys have shown that the general public’s understanding about what our kidneys do and what the risk factors for kidney disease are, is astoundingly poor. In the UK, five leading kidney charities are joining forces in the campaign “Kidney Charities Together,” which calls for urgent action to be taken to raise awareness of kidney disease.

12 Mar 2015

MDC scientists identify new molecular signaling pathway that regulates placental development

During pregnancy, the mother supplies the fetus with nutrients and oxygen via the placenta. If placental development is impaired, this may lead to growth disorders of the embryo or to life-threatening diseases of the mother such as preeclampsia, a serious condition involving high blood pressure and increased urinary protein excretion.

11 Mar 2015

Obese older adults have higher rate of hospitalizations, ER admissions

Obesity is associated with substantial increases in older adults' hospitalizations, emergency room admissions and use of outpatient health care services, according to a new study of 172,866 Medicare Advantage members throughout the U.S.

9 Mar 2015

1 in 5 of the UK population could be walking around with ‘ticking time bomb’

Kidney Research UK polled 2,000 adults across the UK to find out just how much people know about the disease. Startlingly, almost three quarters (74%) of those polled claim to have limited or no knowledge of kidney disease, its causes or its symptoms.

6 Mar 2015

RBFox2 protein plays critical role in heart failure

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a key piece in the complex molecular puzzle underlying heart failure - a serious and sometimes life-threatening disorder affecting more than 5 million Americans.

5 Mar 2015

Study shows strong link between adolescent obesity and high blood pressure

A recent study published in the American Journal of Hypertension has found that body mass index (BMI) in healthy adolescents has a statistically significant association with both systolic blood pressures (SBP) and diastolic blood pressures (DBP), and highlights the significance of the global trend of rapidly increasing adolescent obesity.

4 Mar 2015

Life expectancy for Spaniards increases due to 'cardiovascular revolution'

Over the last century, life expectancy for Spaniards has increased by 40 years. A study by the International University of La Rioja highlights the main cause, since 1980, as being the reduced incidence of cardiovascular diseases while other pathologies, such as mental illnesses and certain types of cancer, have been seen to rise. The authors predict that the effects of the economic recession on mortality will show up in the long-term.

4 Mar 2015

Salt may help control infection

Researchers at Vanderbilt University and in Germany have found that sodium - salt - accumulates in the skin and tissue in humans and mice to help control infection.

4 Mar 2015