Scan can spot 'curable cause of high blood pressure'

Doctors say they have found a medical test that can diagnose the most common curable cause of high blood pressure. Conn's syndrome - a disease of the adrenal glands that sit above the kidneys - is thought to be the cause behind one in 20 cases of hypertension. But until now it has been difficult to detect, requiring a complex series of tests on blood taken from a vein supplying the adrenal gland. Experts at the University of Cambridge say a simple scan can spot the problem. The hi-tech PET-CT scan looks for small growths in the adrenal glands that are about the size of a five pence piece, the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reports. These benign growths or tumours - called adenomas - pump out too much of a hormone called aldosterone, which in turn raises blood pressure - BBC

Bad sleep ups blood pressure risk

Elderly men who spend little time in deep sleep could be at risk of developing high blood pressure, according to US scientists. A study on 784 patients, in the journal Hypertension, showed those getting the least deep sleep were at 83% greater risk than those getting the most. Researchers say they would expect a similar effect in women. The British Heart Foundation said it was important for everyone to prioritise sleep. High blood pressure - also known as hypertension - increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and other health problems. Researchers measured the "sleep quality" of 784 men over the age of 65 between 2007 and 2009. At the start none had hypertension, while 243 had the condition by the end of the study

Death rates among those with high blood pressure decreasing, but still high

Death rates have decreased among people with high blood pressure but remain far higher than in those without it, according to research in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. "Mortality rates are going down for everybody with high blood pressure, but despite the availability of several types of medication to reduce blood pressure, there is still a large gap between those with hypertension and those without," said Earl S. Ford, M.D., M.P.H., study author and medical officer with the U.S. Public Health Service at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

One in four U.S. adults reported having high blood pressure in 2008

More than 59 million Americans age 18 and older were diagnosed with high blood pressure in 2008, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. AHRQ also found that in 2008:

* Three-quarters of people diagnosed with high blood pressure were overweight, obese, or morbidly obese. Roughly 15 percent of healthy weight adults were diagnosed with high blood pressure.
* Adults who exercised vigorously for 30 minutes or more at least three times a week were one-third less likely than those who didn't to have reported having high blood pressure (21 percent versus 32 percent, respectively).
* Nearly 32 percent of black adults reported having high blood pressure, compared to 27 percent of White and 18 percent of Hispanic adults.
* Roughly 29 percent of adults less than 65 years old with public health insurance reported having high blood pressure, versus 19 percent with private insurance and 14 percent of the uninsured.
* Almost 59 percent of seniors age 65 and older reported having been told they had high blood pressure, compared to nearly 34 percent of people ages 45 to 64, 10 percent of those ages 25 to 44, and almost 3 percent of younger adults.

Garlic 'remedy for hypertension' (Australia)

"Garlic may be useful in addition to medication to treat high blood pressure, a study suggests. Australian doctors enrolled 50 patients in a trial to see if garlic supplements could help those whose blood pressure was high, despite medication. Those given four capsules of garlic extract a day had lower blood pressure than those on placebo, they report in scientific journal Maturitas. The British Heart Foundation said more research was needed. Garlic has long been though to be good for the heart. Garlic supplements have previously been shown to lower cholesterol and reduce high blood pressure in those with untreated hypertension. In the latest study, researchers from the University of Adelaide, Australia, looked at the effects of four capsules a day of a supplement known as aged garlic for 12 weeks. They found systolic blood pressure was around 10mmHg lower in the group given garlic compared with those given a placebo"

Kidney zap lowers blood pressure (UK)

"A short blast of radio waves to the kidneys can help control high blood pressure in patients who do not respond to medication, a study shows. The pioneering work, described in The Lancet medical journal, selectively severs nerves to the kidney that play a key role in regulating blood pressure. Although still in the testing phase, experts say the procedure could one day help hundreds of thousands of patients. Half of patients fail to achieve good blood pressure control with drugs. This is partly because it can be difficult to remember to take medication every day. But for up to a fifth of patients it is because the drugs simply have no effect. High blood pressure is an exceedingly common condition, affecting around one in three adults in England. Experts believe the new procedure could help many of these better control their condition, thereby lowering their risk of future strokes and heart attacks"

Binge drinking, high blood pressure a lethal combo

"It's no secret that high blood pressure increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. Nor should it come as a surprise that binge drinking isn't the healthiest habit. But a new study suggests that combining the two may add up to double the trouble - and much more, in some cases. Compared to teetotalers with normal blood pressure, men with high blood pressure (hypertension) who even occasionally down more than six drinks in one sitting have nearly double the risk of dying from a stroke or heart attack, according to the study, which followed 6,100 South Koreans age 55 and up for two decades. If men with high blood pressure have 12 drinks or more at one time, their risk is nearly five times higher, the study found. 'Somehow the binge drinking compounds [high blood pressure] - and more than just a little bit,' says Brian Silver, MD, a neurologist at Henry Ford Hospital, in Detroit, and a spokesman for the American Heart Association"

Online program helps patients self-monitor blood pressure (USA)

An online blood-pressure monitoring program made a major difference in health management for patients with uncontrolled hypertension, new research has found. The researchers studied more than 350 patients, aged 18 to 85, who had uncontrolled high blood pressure - hypertension. The study participants were randomly assigned to receive ordinary treatment or take part in a monitoring program in conjunction with the American Heart Association's Heart360.org Web site, which helps people manage their heart health at no cost. Those who took part in the online program transmitted blood pressure readings via a home computer to their physicians. Pharmacy specialists reviewed the numbers and adjusted the medications of the patients accordingly, the study authors explained. After six months, 58 percent of those in the program had lowered their blood pressure to healthy levels, compared to just 38 percent of those in the other group, Dr. David Magid of Kaiser Permanente Colorado and colleagues found. The study findings are scheduled to be presented Friday at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke 2010 Scientific Sessions, in Washington D.C.

Study links high blood pressure to memory trouble (USA)

"People as young as 45 with high blood pressure are more likely to have memory troubles, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday in a study suggesting aggressive early treatment of the condition may pay huge dividends. They said people with high diastolic blood pressure - high readings on the bottom number of the blood pressure reading - were more likely than those with normal readings to have problems with memory and thinking called cognitive impairment. The study, published in the journal Neurology, is the largest to look at the link between high blood pressure and memory problems. "It's possible that by preventing or treating high blood pressure, we could potentially prevent cognitive impairment, which can be a precursor to dementia," Dr. Georgios Tsivgoulis of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who led the study, said in a statement. Researchers studied nearly 20,000 people 45 and older who had never had a stroke or mini-stroke - a common cause of memory problems. More than 7 percent had memory problems, and nearly half were taking medication for high blood pressure. High blood pressure is defined as a reading of 140/90 or above

Variable blood pressure a new stroke risk factor?

Challenging established medical wisdom about blood pressure and stroke, new British research suggests that extremely variable blood pressure, and not just high blood pressure, can greatly increase a person's risk of stroke. "Some people have very stable hypertension, in which case simple hypertension is all that matters, but variability and episodic hypertension is very common and matters much more than mean blood pressure in some patients," said Dr. Peter Rothwell, a professor of neurology at the University of Oxford and lead author of four papers in the March 13 issues of The Lancet and The Lancet Neurology. One paper looked at high blood pressure and blood pressure variability in four groups of 2,000 people, each of who had minor strokes called transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), or "mini-strokes." These are warning signs of stroke risk. - HealthDay News

A Population-Based Policy and Systems Change Approach to Prevent and Control Hypertension (USA)

"Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is one of the nation's leading causes of death, responsible for roughly one in six deaths among adults annually. Nearly one in three adults has hypertension, which places huge economic demands on the health care system, estimated at $73.4 billion in direct and indirect costs in 2009 alone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which leads the federal government’s efforts to reduce the impact of hypertension, asked the Institute of Medicine to identify high-priority areas on which public health organizations and professionals should focus in order to accelerate progress in hypertension reduction and control. In this report, the IOM recommends that the CDC as well as state and local health jurisdictions focus on population-based strategies that can reach large numbers of people and improve the well-being of entire communities. Behavioral and lifestyle interventions - reducing sodium intake, increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables, and increasing physical activity - are among the best examples. The report also highlights the need to improve providers' adherence to the treatment guidelines for hypertension, especially in the elderly population, and to encourage patients to take medication consistently by reducing or eliminating the cost of antihypertensive medication"

Nearly 4.6M Canadians have hypertension: Statistics Canada

"Nearly one-fifth of Canadians, or roughly 4.6 million adults, have hypertension, with hundreds of thousands of people unaware of their condition, a new survey shows. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a leading risk factor for mortality, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease, said the study released by Statistics Canada. About 80 per cent of the 4.6 million Canadians with hypertension are being treated with medication, said the study. In two-thirds of those treated, the anti-hyperintensive drugs were found to be effectively controlling blood pressure. However, among one-third of adults with hypertension, the condition remained "uncontrolled," meaning blood pressure is still high. About half of those with "uncontrolled" blood pressure, or 762,000 people, were unaware of their condition, according to the findings. The study used analysis from the Canadian Health Measures Survey between March 2007 and February 2009, which is based on direct, automated measures of blood pressure and self-reported use of blood pressure medication in respondents aged 6 to 79 years" - Canwest

Early life stress may predict cardiovascular disease

Early life stress could be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in adulthood, researchers report. "We think early life stress increases sensitivity to a hormone known to increase your blood pressure and increases your cardiovascular risk in adult life," said Dr. Jennifer Pollock, biochemist in the Vascular Biology Center at the Medical College of Georgia and corresponding author on the study published online in Hypertension. The studies in a proven model of chronic behavioral stress – separating rat pups from their mother three hours daily for two weeks – showed no long-term impact on key indicators of cardiovascular disease such as increased blood pressure, heart rate or inflammation in blood vessel walls.

Blood pressure harm from smoke 'may explain cot death'

Smoke exposure during pregnancy damages a baby's blood pressure control, which may explain why such babies' risk of cot death is higher, say experts. Maternal smoking remains one of the biggest risk factors for cot death. A team at Sweden's Karolinksa Institute found smoke-exposed babies had abnormal surges in blood pressure, even when sleeping undisturbed in their cots. These surges put extra demand on the heart, making it pump faster and harder, the journal Hypertension says. The study suggests damage to the circulation may be a factor in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), although it set out to look at the effects of smoking on the newborn rather than cot death per se - BBC

Revolutionary operation could 'cure' high blood pressure (UK)

A revolutionary new operation which could effectively cure high blood pressure has been developed by scientists, offering hope to hundreds of thousands of sufferers. In what is being hailed as the most exciting development in the field for 50 years, doctors can treat the condition with a simple procedure in under an hour. It could allow some sufferers to come off medication completely and offer hope for those for whom existing treatments have no effect. The technique, which is relatively straightforward and cheap for the NHS, could reduce the risk of a major heart attack or stroke in such patients by half. The Daily Telegraph can disclose that the new procedure, which involves placing tiny burns on a nerve responsible for high blood pressure in some people, has been carried out in Britain for the first time. It is part of an international clinical trial which could lead to the new treatment being offered on the NHS. An estimated 15 million people in Britain suffer from high blood pressure, also known as hypertension - around half of them undiagnosed. About one in 10 sufferers cannot control the condition with medication or cannot tolerate the drugs, leaving them at greater risk. Hundreds of thousands face a lifetime on medication to reduce the risk of suffering heart disease, strokes or kidney failure. Dr Mel Lobo, a specialist in clinical hypertension at Barts and the London NHS Trust, said: "This is the most exciting development in hypertension since the advent of anti-hypertensive medication 50 years ago. 'It is hard to forecast the limitations and it could eventually be compared to medication.' The new procedure, called renal sympathetic-nerve ablation, involves inserting a wire into a blood vessel close to the kidneys to burn through nerves which carry signals that stimulate high blood pressure. It disrupts signals from the brain telling the kidneys to keep blood pressure raised. Initial tests suggest it can be effective within three months. Anthony Henry, 68, a retired chef from Stratford in East London, became the first person in Britain to have the operation. Watched by The Daily Telegraph, the team at the London Chest Hospital carried out the painstaking procedure in just over one hour. Mr Henry, who is diabetic and has already suffered a stroke and a deep vein thrombosis, was awake throughout the procedure and spoke to Prof Martin Rothman, the cardiologist who performed it. He was kept in hospital overnight but it is thought once greater experience is gained with the technique, patients will be able to go home the same day. Mr Henry's blood pressure has already come down, just two weeks after the operation and it is thought most patients will see an improvement within three months. Prof Rothman said: "Patients will be able to walk into the hospital and walk out again the same day. "This relatively trivial procedure has the potential to make a serious improvement to the quality of life for the patient. 'It is very efficient and can lower the blood pressure enough to reduce stroke mortality by 50 per cent.'
It was estimated the procedure could cost the NHS around £4,000 per patient, yet it could prevent significant numbers of strokes and heart attacks saving money on emergency treatment and rehabilitation. Dr Paul Sobotka, chief medical officer of Ardian, an American company which has developed the equipment, said: "For the first time we can think of a cure for hypertension." Mr Henry is one of 110 patients taking part in a trial to evaulate the new technique with half receiving the operation plus their normal medication and the other half only taking their drugs.
Dr David Collier, senior clinical trials fellow at the Biomedical Research Unit at Queen Mary University London, said the operation offers real hope of an alternative to a life on pills for patients whose blood pressure is difficult to control but he warned that it was not the 'lazy person's answer' to diet and exercise. Dr Collier said: "This procedure can bring patients within the normal blood pressure range and may enable some to come off their medication. It is the equivalent of them taking two types of drugs. They could be considered cured, at least in the medium-term and we hope long-term." - Telegraph

Elderly patients 'over-treated' for high blood pressure (UK)

"Elderly patients are being treated too aggressively for high blood pressure, researchers claim. They say the "oldest olds", meaning patients aged 80 plus, are being given too many drugs and in too large doses, which may do them more harm than good. The Cochrane scientists who looked at the available data say doctors can set their targets lower for octogenarians. This makes good economic and clinical sense given the expanding elderly population, they told bmj.com. But doctors said high blood pressure is largely under-recognised and under-treated in the UK. Experts say the "oldest olds" are the fastest growing sector of the world's population. According to latest estimates, the UK population of 85-year-olds will go up by a third by 2020. And more than half of these will need treatment for high blood pressure, the British Medical Journal reports"

Study: airport noise increases risk of strokes

"Living under a flight path can seriously damage your health. German researchers have discovered that people who are exposed to jet noise have a substantially increased risk of stroke, high blood pressure and heart disease. The findings are bound to provide further ammunition to anti-airport campaigners and make uncomfortable reading for world leaders at this week's climate summit in Copenhagen. According to the unpublished study, commissioned by Germany's Federal Environment Agency, men who are exposed to jet noise have a 69% higher risk of being hospitalized for cardiovascular disease. Women living under flight paths fare even worse, logging a 93% higher rate of hospitalization with cardiovascular problems, compared with their counterparts in quiet residential areas. The study found that women who are exposed to jet noise (of about 60 decibels) during the day are 172% more likely to suffer a stroke

Body clock link to heart disease (Japan)

"Scientists have raised the possibility that cardiovascular disease is linked to disturbances in the body's 24-hour clock. Working on mice, the Japanese team found a genetic risk factor for a form of high blood pressure is influenced by 24-hour or circadian rhythms. The study appears online in the journal Nature Medicine. Malfunctions in the body clock - which influences much of the body's chemistry - have been linked to many diseases. And lead researcher Professor Hitoshi Okamura said the latest study was in line with data which suggested shift workers, long-distance flight crews and people with sleep disorders have a heightened risk of heart problems. High blood pressure - known as hypertension - can lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney damage, and many other medical problems - BBC

Exercise important in teens' blood pressure control (Canada)

"Regular exercise may help keep teenagers' blood pressure in check, regardless of their body weight, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among nearly 1,300 Canadian teenagers they followed for five years, declining exercise levels over time were linked to small increases in blood pressure. Gains in body fat were also linked to blood pressure increases, but excess weight did not fully account for the relationship between exercise and blood pressure changes - especially in girls. The implication, the researchers report in the American Journal of Epidemiology, is that both weight and exercise habits independently affect teenagers' blood pressure. And that means that getting teens off the couch might help keep their blood pressure under better control, write Katerina Maximova and colleagues of McGill University in Montreal. The findings are based on 1,293 boys and girls who were 12 to 13 years old at the start of the study. The teens reported on their typical physical activity levels and had their body fat and blood pressure measured at the outset, and then periodically over five years"

NIH launches multicenter clinical trial to test blood pressure strategy (USA)

"The National Institutes of Health is launching a large multicenter randomized clinical trial to determine whether maintaining blood pressure levels lower than current recommendations further reduces the risk of cardiovascular and kidney diseases, or age-related cognitive decline. Called the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), the nine-year, $114 million study will be conducted in more than 80 clinical sites across the United States. Current clinical guidelines recommend systolic pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) of less than 140 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) for healthy adults, and 130 mm Hg for adults with kidney disease or diabetes. SPRINT will evaluate the potential benefits of maintaining systolic blood pressure at less than 120 mm Hg for adults who are at risk for heart disease or kidney disease. The study will also assess possible risks of this therapeutic strategy. Study participants will be treated with commonly available blood pressure medications to achieve one of two different levels of blood pressure control - either less than 140 mm Hg (standard group) or less than 120 mm Hg (treatment group). Those in the treatment group will take an average of three to four medications; those in the standard group will take about two medications. SPRINT participants will be seen in clinics every few months at the beginning of the study and less frequently as their blood pressure is controlled. The study will include standard tests for determining the health of the heart, kidneys, and brain. "