Women’s Heart Rate Helps Detect Health Risks
Written by: jchodirker | Posted: Feb 04 2009
(Reuters) Measuring a woman’s heart rate at rest can help predict her risk of heart attack or dying from heart disease, giving doctors a simple, inexpensive way to monitor health risks, researchers said on Wednesday.
The study published in the British Medical Journal showed that postmenopausal women who had the highest resting heart rate were 26 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack or die from cardiovascular disease than those with the lowest rates.
Studies Look At High Blood Pressure Control Among Blacks, Weight-Loss Methods
Written by: jchodirker | Posted: Jan 20 2009
(Medical News Today) This article summarizes studies published in the January issue of the Journal of the National Medical Association. The first study suggests that the reason why blacks have poorer high blood pressure control than whites is related to insufficient adoption of treatment regimens, not because of differences in education levels, general knowledge of the condition or access to care.
The second study reviewed examines the differences in weight-loss practices between whites and ethnic minorities and lower- and higher-socioeconomic status individuals
Seasonal Variation in Blood Pressure
Written by: jchodirker | Posted: Jan 20 2009
(Medical News Today) A French study reported in the January 12th issue of Archives of Internal Medicine has found a strong correlation between blood pressure and outdoor temperature in a large sample of the elderly. As a result, the investigators advise that, during periods of extreme temperatures, careful monitoring of blood pressure and antihypertensive treatment “could contribute to reducing the consequences of blood pressure variations in the elderly”.
High Blood Pressure Continues to Stalk Many Americans
Written by: jchodirker | Posted: Jan 06 2009
(Gannett News Service) It’s one of medicine’s mantras: If you have high blood pressure, taking steps to lower it will have a dramatic impact on your risk of stroke, heart disease and more. But 70 percent of people with high blood pressure still aren’t doing a good enough job controlling it, according to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.
‘‘High blood pressure is clearly associated with stroke, and it’s a very preventable and treatable condition, but a lot of people still aren’t doing what they should,’’ says Dr. Keith Siller, medical director of the Comprehensive Stroke Care Center at New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City.
Key Gene Linked to High Blood Pressure Identified
Written by: jchodirker | Posted: Jan 06 2009
(Reuters) A gene that affects how the kidneys process salt may help determine a person’s risk of high blood pressure, a discovery that could lead to better ways to treat the condition, researchers said on Monday.
People with a common variant of the gene STK39 tend to have higher blood pressure levels and are more likely to develop full-blown high blood pressure, also called hypertension, University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers found.
U.S. Heart Attacks Become Less Severe
Written by: jchodirker | Posted: Jan 05 2009
(HealthDay News) First-time heart attacks in the United States aren’t as deadly now as they have been in past decades, a long-running study finds.
“We know that deaths from heart disease are going down,” said Dr. Merle Myerson, director of the cardiovascular disease prevention program at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City, and lead author of a report in the Jan. 20 issue of Circulation. “One reason why is that heart attacks are less severe. People are not coming in with these massive heart attacks that are killing them.”
Sure, Fast Food and Frozen Dinners Are Often High in Sodium, but Pancake Mix and Bagels, Too?
Written by: jchodirker | Posted: Dec 14 2008
(WebMD Health News) Even if you never touch a salt shaker and steer clear of potato chips and french fries, you are probably eating more salt than you think and much more than is good for you, an investigation from Consumer Reports shows. Researchers analyzed 37 processed foods and identified some surprising sources of hidden sodium.
Mediterranean Diet Plus Nuts May Cut Heart Risks
Written by: jchodirker | Posted: Dec 12 2008
(Reuters Health) A traditional Mediterranean diet that includes a healthy serving of nuts each day may help reverse a cluster of risk factors for heart disease, researchers reported Monday.
In a study of more than 1,200 older adults, Spanish researchers found that those who followed the diet had lower rates of metabolic syndrome — a clustering of risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and stroke, which includes high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, elevated blood sugar and unhealthy cholesterol levels.
The Minimal Impact of a Big Hypertension Study
Written by: jchodirker | Posted: Dec 12 2008
(The New York Times) The surprising news made headlines in December 2002. Generic pills for high blood pressure, which had been in use since the 1950s and cost only pennies a day, worked better than newer drugs that were up to 20 times as expensive. The findings, from one of the biggest clinical trials ever organized by the federal government, promised to save the nation billions of dollars in treating the tens of millions of Americans with hypertension — even if the conclusions did seem to threaten pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer that were making big money on blockbuster hypertension drugs.
Anxiety Disorders Lead to High Blood Pressure Risk
Written by: jchodirker | Posted: Nov 12 2008
(The Canadian Press) People with anxiety disorders are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure and should have their heart health carefully monitored, doctors attending the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress were told Monday. “People with anxiety disorders are four times more likely to develop high blood pressure over one year than those of us who are anxiety-free,” said Dr. Simon Bacon of the Montreal Heart Institute.
