When blood pressure refuses to go down

Five to 15 percent of all patients with hypertension fail to respond to drug treatment. However, a range of treatment options are now available in these cases. Alongside the established measures stand new and promising interventions such as renal sympathetic denervation. Felix Mahfoud, Frank Himmel and their co-authors present the current treatment strategies for resistant arterial hypertension in the latest issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2011; 108(43): 725).

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Breakthrough in understanding the genetics of high blood pressure

A researcher from the University of Leicester’s Department of Cardiovascular Sciences has been involved in a ground-breaking study into the causes of high blood pressure.

The study, published in the academic journal Hypertension, analysed genetic material in human kidneys in a search for genes that might contribute to high blood pressure. The findings open up new avenues for future investigation into the causes of high blood pressure in humans.

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Estrogen treatment may help reverse severe pulmonary hypertension

UCLA researchers have found that the hormone estrogen may help reverse advanced pulmonary hypertension, a rare and serious condition that affects 2 to 3 million individuals in the U.S., mostly women, and can lead to heart failure.

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International study identifies new gene targets for hypertension treatment

A new report from scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and their colleagues in centers around the world finds that common variants in 28 regions of DNA are associated with blood pressure in human patients. Of the identified regions, most were completely unsuspected, although some harbor genes suspected of influencing blood pressure based on animal studies. In the study receiving advance online publication in Nature, members of the International Consortium for Blood Pressure Genome-Wide Association Studies (ICBP-GWAS) analyzed genetic data from over 275,000 individuals from around the world. They also identified for the first time the involvement of an important physiologic pathway in blood pressure control, potentially leading to a totally new class of hypertension drugs.

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Beyond pills: Cardiologists examine alternatives to halt high blood pressure

More and more, patients show up to appointments with hypertension expert John Bisognano, M.D., Ph.D. carrying bags full of “natural” products that they hope will help lower their blood pressure. And like most physicians, Bisognano doesn’t always know if these products will do any good, or if they will cause any harm.

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Radical change in blood pressure diagnosis and treatment

University of Leicester professor chairs major new guideline from NICE on the treatment of high blood pressure

The way blood pressure is diagnosed and treated is set to be revolutionised following new guidelines for the medical profession issued by NICE and developed in conjunction with the British Hypertension Society (BHS).

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Therapeutically promising new findings for combating hypertension and cardiovascular disease

Researchers from Wisconsin and Texas identify benefits of certain EET analogs

WASHINGTON – More than one-third of the world’s population suffers from hypertension (commonly known as high blood pressure) and cardiovascular disease (disorders that affect the heart and/or blood vessels). The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research has reported that Americans spent $29 billion for non-prescription cardiovascular drugs alone in 2008. With the number of individuals afflicted on the rise, and the costs for treatment on the increase, scientists and policymakers are looking for new approaches to combat these disorders.

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Yale researchers hit ‘jackpot’ linking gene mutations to high blood pressure

Yale University researchers have identified two novel genetic mutations that can trigger hypertension in up to a third of patients suffering from a common cause of severe high blood pressure, they report in the Feb. 11 issue of the journal Science.

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Scientists discover a new way our bodies control blood pressure: the P450-EET system

New research in the FASEB Journal suggests that increasing the level of the P450 protein causes the creation of molecules called EETs, which lower blood pressure

If you are one of the millions of Americans with high blood pressure, more help is on the way. That’s because a new research study published in the October 2010 print issue of The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) shows that a protein, called P450, metabolizes arachidonic acid in our blood vessel walls to create a tiny molecule with a big name—epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET)—which in mice, turns off genes responsible for vascular inflammation and ultimately relaxes blood vessels to lower blood pressure. This protein and genes are also present in humans.

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Expensive new blood pressure meds no better than generics

New long-term data from landmark ALLHAT study

MAYWOOD, Ill. — Expensive brand-name medications to lower blood pressure are no better at preventing cardiovascular disease than older, generic diuretics, according to new long-term data from a landmark study.

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