High Blood Pressure News and Research

Latest High Blood Pressure News and Research

Early blood pressure treatment with candesartan may postpone hypertension

A new study offers intriguing insight into the possibility of postponing hypertension among the 59 million Americans whose blood pressure is slightly high.

21 Mar 2006

High blood pressure declines and remains low after bariatric surgery

The prevalence of hypertension (high blood pressure) appears to decline and remain low after bariatric surgery, and blood pressure drops the most among patients who had untreated hypertension before the procedure, according to a study in the March issue of Archives of Surgery.

21 Mar 2006

Bariatric surgery may reduce risk of heart disease

"We believed the surgical patients would have a modest reduced risk, but instead we discovered there are significant and long-lasting heart benefits for this group," Dr. Batsis says.

21 Mar 2006

Some patients may no longer need hypertensive medications after bariatric surgery

Severely obese patients may experience significant, long-term improvements in blood pressure as they lose substantial amounts of weight after gastric bypass surgery, thereby contributing to their overall health, according to a new University of Pittsburgh study, published in the March issue of the Archives of Surgery.

21 Mar 2006

Diabetics benefit less from anti-hypertensive treatment to reduce enlarged heart

Standard blood-pressure-lowering treatment to reduce dangerously enlarged hearts is much less effective and less beneficial in diabetic vs. nondiabetic patients, a team led by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center researchers reports in this month's issue of Circulation.

20 Mar 2006

Hypertension reduced with early intervention

Treating pre-hypertension with medication and lifestyle modifications reduces the risk of patients progressing to hypertension, a new study involving researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center has concluded.

19 Mar 2006

Coronary artery heart disease in Ireland halved since the mid 80s

Deaths from coronary artery heart disease in Ireland have halved since the mid 1980s, finds research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

15 Mar 2006

Taking medications to lower blood pressure may be associated with a lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease

Taking medications to lower blood pressure, particularly those known as diuretics, may be associated with a lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study in the May 2006 print issue of Archives of Neurology.

15 Mar 2006

Therapy for slightly raised blood pressure delays hypertension

A new study shows by giving a blood pressure drug to people with measurements above normal but not yet considered too high, the development of hypertension might be delayed.

15 Mar 2006

Salt substitution in rural China would cut hypertension rates

A salt substitute specially formulated to be flavourful and effective has significantly reduced blood pressure among high-risk residents of northern, rural China, where home-pickled foods are a dietary mainstay and hypertension is rampant.

15 Mar 2006

Creative new therapies for atherosclerotic disease

Patients with a build-up of plaque in arteries in the heart, brain and leg face a high risk of major cardiovascular complications.

14 Mar 2006

Diabetics overestimate healthy body weight

Heavier patients with diabetes are more likely to overestimate their "healthiest" body weight compared to those of normal weight, according to a study published in the current issue of Diabetes Care.

14 Mar 2006

Hormone C-type natriuretic peptide protects the heart muscle from thickening abnormally

When the heart is weakened, it tries to compensate for its impaired pumping function through an enlargement of the heart muscle cells. Physicians speak in this case of cardiac hypertrophy, abnormal enlargement of the heart.

13 Mar 2006

Australian researchers find key 'go-betweeen' in heart disease

Medical researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) - Australia, have shed light on a little-known mechanism involved in the thickening of arteries, a process associated with heart disease.

13 Mar 2006

Best seller Lipitor shown to improve kidney function

According to drug maker Pfizer it's top selling product worldwide, the cholesterol lowering medication Lipitor (Atorvastatin) has been shown to improve kidney function in patients with heart disease.

13 Mar 2006

Aspirin still the best for reducing the heart attack risk

New research has revealed that the addition of the blood-thinning drug Plavix to a daily dose of aspirin does not lower the risk of death, heart attack or stroke in high-risk patients.

13 Mar 2006

B vitamins and folic acid don't cut the risk of further heart attacks

Scientists have found that levels of the amino acid homocysteine may be high in people destined for a heart attack or stroke, and some studies in the past have linked homocysteine to an increased risk of heart disease.

13 Mar 2006

Transplanting a pair of kidneys with limited function into one patient may offer one solution to short supply of donated kidneys

Transplanting a pair of kidneys with limited function into one patient can be just as successful as the standard procedure in which a patient receives a single kidney, according to new research at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

13 Mar 2006

Diabetics shown to have increased heart muscle mass

Diabetes strongly increases the risk of heart failure in all ethnic groups, but early effects of diabetes on the heart may differ depending on whether the subjects are white, African-American, Hispanic or Chinese.

9 Mar 2006

Nebivolol may restore damaged cardiovascular functions in African Americans

Tadeusz Malinski, Marvin & Ann Dilley White Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, found that the drug, currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, acts on the level of oxidants lining the cardiovascular system and can restore levels of nitric oxide and reduce oxidative stress.

9 Mar 2006