Hypertension

Ingunn Skjørten, 1,2 Janne Mykland Hilde, 3 Morten Nissen Melsom, 1 Jonny Hisdal, 4 Viggo Hansteen, 5 Kjetil Steine, 2,3 Sjur Humerfelt 6 1 Department of Pulmonary Medicine, LHL Hospital Gardermoen, Jessheim, 2 Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, 3 Department of Cardiology, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, 4 Section of Vascular Investigations, Oslo University Hospital-Aker, 5 Department of Cardiology, Oslo University Hospital-Aker, 6 Clinic of Allergology and Respiratory Medicine, Oslo, Norway Background : Pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with COPD is associated with reduced exercise capacity. A subgroup of COPD patients has normal mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) at rest, but develops high mPAP relative to cardiac output (CO) during exercise, a condition we refer to as exercise-induced pulmonary hypertension (EIPH). We hypothesized that COPD patients with EIPH could be identified by cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) and that these patients ha...

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It’s happened to all of us. One minute we’re striding merrily along, the next we’re sprawled on the ground. While we often don’t give experiencing a fall a thought beyond mild embarrassment, it’s something to which we all need to pay adequate attention. Falls occur more frequently and can have more severe consequences than you might think. While the elderly are most susceptible to falling, it can happen to anyone. Falls can also lead to a serious injury such as traumatic brain injury, hip fracture, and other broken bones. In fact, falls are the No. 1 reason NHRMC sees trauma patients. NHRMC trauma registry data from the past five years show that: 5,115 patients (half of NHRMC’s trauma patients) were seen because of a fall. Approximately 65 percent of patients seen for a fall were 65 or older. 95 percent of patients over the age of 64 who came to NHRMC’s Emergency Department for a fall were admitted to the hospital. Approximately half of the older adults admitted for a fall were...

Amazon has launched an exclusive range of medical devices to help people manage their diabetes and hypertension at home. The Choice devices, produced by the healthcare consultancy, Arcadia Group – which is not affiliated with the British fashion brand of the same name –include blood glucose monitors, blood pressure monitors and test strips. Choice estimates that diabetes and hypertension affect up to 130 million Americans and hopes that its devices will help those afflicted to benefit from daily monitoring and progress tracking over time. Conventional models and devices enabled with Bluetooth connectivity features will be available to buy, with pricing said to offer better value over devices that can be bought in pharmacies, according to the company. Bob Guest, CEO of Arcadia Group, said: “The Choice brand is all about accessible wellness. Consumers no longer need to drive to a store to stand in-line and purchase their medical devices and supplies. “Now, in the privacy of their h...

Currently, only irbesartan products from ScieGen are affected by this recall ScieGen is recalling certain lots of the angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) irbesartan because the tablets contain N-Nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), a suspected human carcinogen. The impurity was identified following laboratory testing conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); this is the first non-valsartan product that the Agency has found to contain NDEA. A list of affected products can be found here . These products are labeled as Westminster Pharmaceuticals and Golden State Medical Supply. Additionally, the manufacturer that provides the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for ScieGen's irbesartan products, Aurobindo, is recalling all unexpired lots of irbesartan API with NDEA supplied in the US. Currently, only irbesartan products from ScieGen are affected by this recall; the FDA will continue to test ARBs for impurities, including Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a probable human car...

Oct. 30 (UPI) -- A study in Britain found no benefits to prescribing drugs for patients with low-risk mild hypertension, contrary to U.S. medical groups' new guidelines. Researchers from the University of Oxford, Cambridge University and the University of Birmingham came to that conclusion after studying the records of 38,286 patients collected over 15 years. The findings were published Monday in Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. It is measured in millimeters of mercury, based on the systolic pressure, or the pressure when ventricular contraction occurs -- this is the top number -- and diastolic pressure, which is the pressure in blood vessels between heart beats -- which is the lower number. A normal blood pressure is considered a sys...

Amazon has launched an exclusive range of medical devices to help people manage their diabetes and hypertension at home. The Choice devices, produced by the healthcare consultancy, Arcadia Group – which is not affiliated with the British fashion brand of the same name –include blood glucose monitors, blood pressure monitors and test strips. Choice estimates that diabetes and hypertension affect up to 130 million Americans and hopes that its devices will help those afflicted to benefit from daily monitoring and progress tracking over time. Conventional models and devices enabled with Bluetooth connectivity features will be available to buy, with pricing said to offer better value over devices that can be bought in pharmacies, according to the company. Bob Guest, CEO of Arcadia Group, said: “The Choice brand is all about accessible wellness. Consumers no longer need to drive to a store to stand in-line and purchase their medical devices and supplies. “Now, in the privacy of their h...

Patients with mild hypertension receive no benefit in terms of lowering the risk of death or cardiovascular disease from taking high blood pressure medication, though they have a higher risk of adverse events. That’s the conclusion of a new study of more than 38,000 patients with low-risk, mild hypertension (blood pressure of 140-159/90-99 mm Hg untreated by medication). And it’s significant considering that last year, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology issued a joint recommendation that blood pressure drugs be started in patients with a reading of 130/80 mm Hg or higher. Before, the recommendation threshold was 140/90. Researchers conducted an observational study, looking at the 38,000 patients over 15 years. At the outset, none of them were receiving hypertension medications. They then compared those who were eventually treated with drugs to those who never received any treatment. Those who took a high blood pressure medication did not have a lo...

Stroke is a “brain attack” cutting off vital supplies of blood and oxygen to the brain. A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. Over 80 per cent of strokes happen because of a blockage in an artery. According to the Deputy Programme Manager for Non Communicable Diseases Control Programme, Dr Efua Commeh, one of the major causes of stroke is hypertension (Page 32 Daily Graphic, October 30.) Dr Commeh also drew attention to a worrying statistics pointing to the fact that 50 to 70 per cent of the Ghanaian population had never checked their blood pressure. Major problems One of the big problems with hypertension is that it actually causes very few symptoms in most people. Even apparently very fit people can have high blood pressure without realising it, but in severe cases, there may be nosebleeds, headaches, sleeping difficulties, confusion and breathing problems. If hypertension is left untreated or a person is unaware he or she has it, then the per...

In the largest study of its kind in the UK, doctors from King's School of Life Course Sciences have found that ethnicity has a major impact on the risk of complications for pregnant women with long-term high blood pressure (chronic hypertension in pregnancy). Differences in the incidence of stillbirth were particularly marked: five times higher for Black women than White women and almost three times higher for Asian women than White women. Chronic hypertension affects about three per cent of pregnancies worldwide and is becoming more common with rising maternal age and levels of obesity. It is associated with several severe complications including pre-eclampsia, stillbirth, fetal growth restriction and preterm birth. Outside pregnancy ethnic origin is routinely considered when prescribing medication for high blood pressure but this is not the case for pregnant women. To better understand whether tailoring treatment for chronic hypertension to ethnicity during pregnancy could be...

Researchers suggest discussing lifestyle changes as an alternative to drug therapy Antihypertensive drugs do not protect low-risk patients with mild hypertension against cardiovascular disease and death, according to a large UK study. Evidence to support starting drug therapy to treat hypertension in this cohort is "inconclusive, with previous trials underpowered to demonstrate benefit," the authors say in JAMA Internal Medicine . The researchers reviewed e-health records from a UK database to assess the benefits and harms of antihypertensive therapy in low-risk patients, defined as having three consecutive untreated BP readings of 140/90-159/99mmHg within 12 months. The cohort included 19,143 adults prescribed antihypertensive treatment at baseline and 19,143 matched adults who were not prescribed antihypertensives. In both cohorts, the mean age was around 55 and just over half were women. During an average follow-up of close to six years, 1641 peop...

One in 10 Australians who participated in a national blood pressure check health program have been advised to seek further medical attention for possible high blood pressure More than 10,000 Australians participated in the health program coordinated by the National Heart Foundation and TerryWhite Chemmart during the month of October. More than 1,000 participants were advised to see their local GP after receiving high blood pressure readings above 140/90mmHg. The health program, which offered free blood pressure checks at TerryWhite Chemmart pharmacies around the country, aimed to raise awareness of high blood pressure as a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke. National Heart Foundation Group CEO, Adjunct Professor John Kelly AM said, “While it is encouraging that so many Australians took the opportunity to get their blood pressure checked, we know that 2.7 million people with high blood pressure are not having their condition managed. “Most concerning, 1.4 million Aus...

A large observational study found no difference in mortality or CV events, and some signals of harm, between treated and untreated individuals. New observational data hint that antihypertensive therapy may not cut mortality and CV disease in patients who have blood pressures ranging from 140/90 to 159/99 mm Hg but no other cardiovascular disease or CV risk factors. What’s more, over the course of nearly 6 years, treated patients had more adverse events than those left untreated. “The present data provide no evidence to suggest that new [American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA)] guidelines will reduce CVD events in low-risk patients with mild hypertension,” write James P. Sheppard, PhD (University of Oxford, United Kingdom), and colleagues. In their study, published online October 29, 2018, in JAMA Internal Medicine , the investigators looked specifically at patients with no history of CVD and no CVD risk factors, but with blood pressure levels in the ran...

Individual cells within the same heart cope differently with high blood pressure, according to a study in human cells and mice by a team of cardiologists and computational biologists at the University of Tokyo. This is the first time researchers have identified distinct differences between heart muscle cells that fail and those that adapt to high blood pressure. Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. High blood pressure causes heart failure, but the underlying mechanism by which this occurs is unknown. In this new study, cells that adapted to high blood pressure were thicker overall than healthy cells. These thicker cells needed more energy, but could keep the heart beating. Cells that failed to adapt became stretched out and weak, like a worn-out elastic band, and could contract to keep blood pumping. Project Assistant Professor Seitaro Nomura, a cardiologist at the Graduate School of Medicine and a postdoct...

High blood pressure is a condition in which the pressure of blood in the body is too high. It can be dangerous, because if blood pressure is too high it puts extra strain on the blood vessels serving the organs. This can lead to serious complications such as heart attacks and strokes. High blood pressure can be caused by many factors, one of which is eating an unhealthy diet, particularly one which is high in salt. Cutting down or avoiding salt can therefore prevent blood pressure from becoming too high, and can lower blood pressure that is already high. Some foods can also help lower blood pressure by helping to widen blood vessels, or by regulating salt in the body. One fruit which can help to reduce blood pressure is the banana. This is because bananas are packed with potassium, a mineral that helps control the balance of fluids in the body. By doing this, it can help the kidneys to flush out excess salt from the body. “Potassium is a key mineral that the body relie...

Blood pressure readings of 130/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or higher taken at home can be used to diagnose hypertension in white, black and Hispanic U.S. adults, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension . "Until now, recommendations for diagnosing high blood pressure with measurements done at home were primarily from Japanese and European studies," said Wanpen Vongpatanasin, M.D., study author, professor of medicine and hypertension director at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. "We didn't know if these recommendations actually applied to U.S. adults." Researchers analyzed large multi-ethnic studies that compared home blood pressure to clinic measurements of primarily young and middle-aged adults in Dallas, Texas and Durham, North Carolina. In 420 participants in the North Carolina clinic, high blood pressure readings (130/80) were confirmed with similar readings at home. In 3,132 participants in the ...

A team of cardiologists and computational biologists from the University of Tokyo have found that single cells within the heart are affected by high blood pressure in different ways. Image Credit: Sebastian Kaulitzki / Shutterstock The study has shown, for the first time, that some heart muscle cells fail in the presence of high blood pressure, while others adapt to cope. Cells that were able to adapt were generally thicker than healthy cells and required more energy to function, but they were able to support the beating of the heart. Cells that failed to adapt became stretched and weak and could not contract to pump blood. These results are the first to show that some cells fail and others adapt to high blood pressure within the same heart. I am very interested in the increased activity of genes that are important for making energy in the cell." Professor Seitaro Nomura, First Author As reported in the journal Nature Communications , the researchers identified groups o...

High blood pressure is a common condition that affects more than 25 per cent of all adults in the UK. The condition, which is also known as hypertension, puts extra stress on blood vessels and vital organs, including the heart and lungs. You could be at risk of high blood pressure by eating an unhealthy diet, or by not doing enough exercise. But you could slash your chances of developing hypertension by taking daily chamomile supplements , it’s been claimed. Chamomile is a popular herb that’s usually found in face creams, drinks and perfumes. It’s commonly used to treat stomach problems, to relieve muscle spasms, and even treat skin conditions, said PennState Hershey’s Milton Hershey Medical Center. But, it could also be used to lower blood pressure slightly, added the medical school. “Chamomile is one of the most popular herbs in the Western world,” said the Milton Hershey Medical Center. “Chamomile teas, ointments, and extracts all start with the white and yellow flower...

High blood pressure is when the pressure of the blood in the body is too high. It can be a serious condition, because if left untreated high blood pressure can cause health problems like heart attacks and strokes. Problems can be avoided, however, by taking measures to maintain healthy blood pressure and lower it if it is too high . Blood pressure UK offers the following five tips to reduce blood pressure levels. Eat less salt Too much salt raises blood pressure, so it’s important to eat as little as possible. Most of the salt you eat is not what you add to food, but is hidden in prepared foods like bread, breakfast cereals and ready meals, so always check the salt content of these products before buying and opt for low-salt options. At home, avoid adding salt to food when cooking or at the table. Eat more fruit and vegetables “Eating more fruit and vegetables helps to lower your blood pressure,” said the blood pressure expert. UK adults are advised to eat at least fiv...

Hypertension is a major health problem in Nigeria, with local experts advising people to have frequent blood pressure checks. The president of the Nigerian Cardiac Society , Dr Okechukwu Ogah, told the the News Agency of Nigeria in October 2018 that “one out of every three adults in Nigeria has high blood pressure”. He said the rate was rising because people ate unhealthy food and didn’t exercise enough. Is his claim that a third of adults in Nigeria have hypertension up to scratch? What is high blood pressure? Hypertension, known as high or raised blood pressure, is a medical condition in which the blood constantly applies too much pressure against the walls of the blood vessels. The heart then has to work harder to pump blood to all parts of the body, the World Health Organisation explains. This increases the risk of heart attack. Someone is considered hypertensive if their systolic blood pressure is higher than 140 millimetres of mercury (mmHg) or their diastolic bloo...

Livongo is branching out beyond diabetes, tackling hypertension as Glen Tullman looks to expand the health-tech company’s hardware and software into a broader platform that includes data analytics. The company added a cellular-connected blood-pressure monitor with voice interaction capability alongside its glucometer. Livongo aims to help employers reduce their medical costs by using technology to get employees to more closely monitor chronic conditions, such as diabetes, and stay on track with treatment, which reduces the risk that they’ll end up in the hospital. If patients opt in, the devices can automatically send data to the patients’ healthcare providers and Livongo staff, who can alert patients or their caregivers if a dangerous situation occurs.  In less than five years, Livongo has signed up more than 500 customers, mostly large self-insured companies such as FedEx, Amazon, Lowe’s, Target and Delta, along with four of the country’s seven largest insurers. The compa...

Smartfuture's vision is to deploy 5000 such kiosks across Singapore by the end of 2019, and to get 300,000 users to move towards a more active, healthy and productive lifestyle. Singapore - 26 self-monitoring health check-up kiosks have been installed by Smartfuture in offices across Singapore since March this year. Employees in these offices use the kiosks to check key health metrics such as blood pressure, blood glucose, BMI, SpO2 and ECG. They receive personalised diet and fitness recommendations via the kiosk or the associated mobile App. They can tele-consult a fitness trainer or nutritionist, or call a wellness provider to their office or home for a 1-to-1 session. Employers receive a secured dashboard to view summarised health metrics of their workforce. "Number of cases of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and mental health cases is on the rise and there is a strong correlation to unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle at the workplace. Through regular checks of vi...

POCATELLO — Every November, communities across the country observe National Diabetes Month to bring attention to diabetes and its impact on the nearly 30 million Americans who have it. One out of 10 people have been diagnosed with this disease. To help manage diabetes, it is important to seek support from health care professionals, family, friends and the community. In recognition of this national diabetes observance, Southeastern Idaho Public Health, Eat Smart Idaho and Idaho State University are proudly leading activities taking place in Pocatello. On Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., participate in a Healthy Food Drive at Fred Meyer, 800 Yellowstone Ave. in Pocatello. Fresh and canned fruits and vegetables, whole grains, high-quality proteins and low-fat dairy sources are being requested. A Diabetes Education Table will also be set up featuring healthy harvest recipe samples and prediabetes, diabetes and hypertension literature along with other community resources. A list of heal...

Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos in Seattle, Washington. Amazon’s most recent move into healthcare involves medical devices. The Seattle tech giant has teamed up with brand consultancy business  Arcadia Group to launch a brand of consumer-use medical devices for diabetes and hypertension management. Called Choice , the new brand will initially include blood glucose monitors and blood pressure monitors accompanied by supporting mobile apps that offer measurement tracking, data mobility and reminders. In a statement, Arcadia Group CEO Bob Guest said that the organizations plan to “incorporate voice-driven measurement interpretation as well as individualize wellness recommendations. This is all possible with Alexa, and will provide patients with a wellness experience not available until now.” The Choice website also has a page that asks users to vote on which products it should make available next, such as insulin, heart rate monitors or lancets. As for Amazon, a spok...

I received a call to sign a death certificate for a 75-year-old woman who had died unexpectedly during the night. A long-time patient of mine, she had diabetes and hypertension which had been well controlled, and she had been doing well. I agreed to sign her death certificate because there was no suspicion of foul play and the death seemed natural. The family had no desire to have an autopsy done. Death certificates are an important source of data on disease incidence, prevalence, and mortality. These data are used by the federal government, researchers, and funding sources, to name a few, to help focus health promotion and disease prevention efforts. But how accurate are they? In the case of my patient, what was the actual cause of death? Was it a heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, occult malignancy, or something else? On the basis of the patient's history and the silent death at home, I listed heart attack secondary to diabetes and hypertension on her death certificate. We will n...

October 29, 2018 — Blood pressure readings of 130/80 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) or higher taken at home can be used to diagnose hypertension in white, black and Hispanic U.S. adults, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension .1 “Until now, recommendations for diagnosing high blood pressure with measurements done at home were primarily from Japanese and European studies,” said Wanpen Vongpatanasin, M.D., study author, professor of medicine and hypertension director at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “We didn’t know if these recommendations actually applied to U.S. adults.” Researchers analyzed large multi-ethnic studies that compared home blood pressure to clinic measurements of primarily young and middle-aged adults in Dallas, Texas and Durham, N.C. In 420 participants in the North Carolina clinic, high blood pressure readings (130/80) were confirmed with similar readings at home. In 3,132 participants in the Dallas study, rese...

High blood pressure , or hypertension, is when the the pressure of blood in the body is too high. The condition can be dangerous as if left untreated it can lead to serious health problems, such as heart attacks and strokes. This is because when blood pressure is too high, it puts extra strain on the blood vessels that serve the body’s organs, such as the heart and brain. It can be difficult to know if you have high blood pressure, as it rarely has noticeable symptoms. According to the NHS, more than one in four adults in the UK have hypertension, many of whom won’t realise it. The only real way to find out if your blood pressure is high, is to have your blood pressure checked. However, in cases of severely high blood pressure, symptoms may develop. When blood pressure is extremely high, this is known as malignant hypertension, or a hypertensive crisis. Malignant hypertension happens when blood pressure spikes suddenly and extremely, and is considered to be a medical emerge...

High blood pressure affects more than 25 per cent of all UK adults. The condition, which is also known as hypertension, increases the risk of some deadly complications, including heart disease and strokes. But making some easy diet swaps could lower your chances of developing hypertension. Eating more watercress could be an easy way to lower your blood pressure , scientists have claimed. Watercress is a great source of nitrates, which help to lower blood pressure . The nitrates are converted into nitrogen and enter the blood stream, which dilates the blood vessels. Just 40g of watercress every day is enough to start lowering blood pressure. “Watercress like other leafy green vegetables contain a great source of natural nitrates and it’s recommended that at least two portions a day of nitrate rich vegetables will assist in reducing hypertension,” said The Watercress Company’s Managing Director, Tom Amery. “Research has shown that consumption of vegetable rich in nitrate...

By Anthony Vecchione , October 29, 2018 at 8:23 AM Irina Benenson, assistant professor, Rutgers School of Nursing. - ( RUTGERS SCHOOL OF NURSING ) A new study out of Rutgers University suggests extremely high blood pressure, not diabetes alone, is responsible for severe organ damage due to hypertensive emergencies in African-Americans with diabetes. In a statement, Rutgers said that the most effective way to prevent life-threatening complications of extreme hypertension in African-Americans with diabetes is to better control blood pressure. The study, published in the October issue of the journal Clinical and Experimental Hypertension, included 783 diabetic and 1,001 nondiabetic patients from a New Jersey hospital emergency department that serves predominantly African-American communities. According to Rutgers, it is the first study to look at the risk factors and prevalence for hypertensive emergencies, or drastic increases in blood pressure, in diabetic African-Americans, a ...

In a new study, researchers from the UK and Canada provide more evidence linking a commonly prescribed class of blood pressure medication to an elevated risk in lung cancer. But is the data strong enough to make us reconsider their use? Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) are given to millions of people worldwide to treat a variety of vascular conditions, including hypertension (high blood pressure), coronary artery disease, heart failure, diabetes, chronic kidney diseases, and migraines. Highly effective and often free of any noticeable side effects, ACEIs have become a lifeline in the era of rampant heart disease and diabetes.  Several recent studies have confirmed that short-term regimens of ACEIs are safe, but data on the long-term impacts are less clear. Some investigations following ACEI users have found higher than normal rates of multiple  types of cancer , whereas others have found no additional risk. These conflicting results have caused debate...