theheart.org - Hypertension

Ten foods provide half of sodium eaten in US

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:00:06 EST

New estimates of salt consumption from a recent US survey show that 10 food groups provide almost half of the dietary sodium consumed in the country and that 90% of individuals eat more than the recommended daily amount of sodium.

MI-shock proposal is cold comfort: Hypothermia might boost survival

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST

Some data suggest therapeutic hypothermia might reduce the currently high mortality from cardiogenic shock; let's do the necessary clinical studies to see whether it might be true, urges a published viewpoint.

Fitness and fatness independently linked with CVD risk factors

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST

Individuals should be aware that exercising can have positive health effects, even if the weight doesn't necessarily come off, as can losing weight alone, researchers say, although the ideal combination is to improve fitness and lose fat.

Lower mortality in NFL players�if weight is kept in check

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:15:21 EST

The reduction in mortality and cardiovascular disease was observed in the smaller players—defensive backs, quarterbacks, and wide receivers, as well as fullbacks, halfbacks, and running backs, among others. For the true giants of the gridiron, the linemen, cardiovascular disease mortality was not significantly reduced compared with the US population.

KEEP: Focus on CKD patients with highest SBP

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:30:06 EST

A new, contemporary study in real-world patients with chronic kidney disease finds that those with systolic BPs of 140 mm Hg and higher are at the greatest risk of developing end-stage renal disease. Hence the current "goal" in CKD patients of 130 mm Hg should be revised upward, say the authors, making the target easier to achieve and allowing physicians to focus on other aspects of care.

Photos on school lunch trays boost veggie intake

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:45:11 EST

A simple intervention, whereby photographs of green beans and carrots were placed in lunch trays in a school cafeteria, has had some success in boosting consumption of these vegetables among elementary schoolchildren.

The flap over flavonoids

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:15:40 EST

The field of flavonoids and polyphenols continues to attract a massive amount of interest, from researchers and the public alike. But can health really be improved by eating chocolate and drinking red wine?

"Cardiovascular health," new focus of the AHA, linked with reduced mortality

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:15:32 EST

Individuals meeting five of seven cardiovascular health metrics outlined by the American Heart Association had a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality and deaths from diseases of the circulatory system when compared with unhealthy individuals who met none of the cardiovascular health criteria.

Interarm BP differences increase CVD risk

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:15:56 EST

New research indicates that large differences in systolic blood pressure between the right and left arm of 15 mm Hg or more point to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. The findings should add weight to guidelines, which already encourage doctors to measure BP in both arms, say the authors and editorialists.

Heart attack deaths plummet in three EU nations

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:15:26 EST

New statistics from Denmark, England, and Poland show a roughly 50% drop in deaths due to acute AMI in recent decades.

Cardiologists flagging woeful patient care say they paid with their jobs

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:30:00 EST

An echocardiographer and cardiac surgeon who say their jobs were axed in retaliation after they lodged numerous complaints of substandard patient care at a county hospital in Santa Clara are suing some of their former bosses, including two other cardiologists. The plaintiffs also claim they suffered severe harassment as a result of expressing their concerns. The defendants' attorney says the case "is hotly disputed."

Pay for SGR repeal with war savings, say medical groups

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:45:34 EST

A letter to Rep Dave Camp from 110 medical societies admits that war savings from military pullbacks are a "budget gimmick" but says they could retire SGR debt, another budget gimmick.

Black tea lowers blood pressure in small trial

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:15:06 EST

Three daily cups, which provided approximately 400 mg/day of polyphenols, reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure between 2 to 3 mm Hg, according to researchers.

Gifts, pep talks have some success post-PCI and in hypertension

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST

Some of the first research showing that positive affect interventions—including phone calls to bolster self-affirming thoughts and small gifts—generate some success in post-PCI and hypertensive patients has been published. An editorialist describes the work as "innovative" and calls for many more studies of this kind.

Pillow talk: First AHA advice on sex and CVD

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST

The first-ever guidance on sexual activity and cardiovascular disease from the AHA encourages doctors, patients, and their partners to discuss the subject during consultations. The majority of those with heart disease can safely engage in sex, which is important to quality of life, it concludes.

"High-normal" blood pressure linked to AF

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:15:44 EST

Upper-normal levels of blood pressure in otherwise-healthy middle-aged men appear to predict a higher risk for the development of atrial fibrillation in older age, a new study suggests.

Mortality climbs with rising PA pressure in heart failure: Community-based study

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:45:46 EST

The finding in a broad community-based HF population confirms and extends what is recognized in the hospital setting.

Resveratrol scientists react to Das fraud scandal: "Research will continue"

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:20:01 EST

As the controversy over the research fraud allegations against Dr Dipak Das enters its third day, researchers told heartwire what the news means for the field of resveratrol research and, more pressingly, an upcoming scientific meeting.

Red-wine researcher charged with photo-editing fraud

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:30:31 EST

A University of Connecticut investigation found Dr Dipak K Das guilty of falsifying and fabricating images that appeared in published research.

Inactivity is a universal risk factor for heart attack

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:40:42 EST

New findings from the INTERHEART study show that being physically active during leisure and work time protects against MI. The message is simple, say the authors: incorporate as much physical activity into daily life as is possible. Not surprisingly, those who own a TV and car have a higher risk of MI, they also show.

Pulmonary hypertension in kids differs from adult PAH

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EST

A new registry of children with pulmonary hypertension is helping to differentiate the pediatric population with this disease from the adult one and should aid in better diagnosis and treatment of this condition in kids, say the authors.

New guidelines suggest blood glucose testing for all inpatients

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:30:37 EST

New clinical-practice guidelines from the Endocrine Society say all patients should have a glucose test on admission to the hospital and describe optimal management of hyperglycemia in patients who do not require intensive care.

Aortic stenosis grading system misses rare, high-risk group

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST

A new study has examined the clinical outcomes of asymptomatic aortic-stenosis patients classified by valve area plus flow-gradient patterns instead of the older, inherently inconsistent system based on separate area, gradient, and flow measurements.

Bereavement triggers MI, new study finds

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST

Bereaved people are 21 times more likely to suffer an MI the day after the death of a significant other, and this heightened risk remains for as long as a month afterward, new research finds. Healthcare providers, the bereaved themselves, and their family and friends need to recognize this heightened risk, say the authors.

Bariatric surgery reduces CV events, but mechanisms remain a mystery

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST

The latest data from the Swedish Obese Subjects study show that bariatric surgery reduces the risk of cardiovascular events and CV death among obese individuals, compared with usual care. But weight loss is not the reason behind this reduced risk, meaning that guidelines that use BMI to determine who will get such surgery need updating, say the authors and an editorialist.

Congress postpones Medicare pay cut

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:30:15 EST

UPDATED // After the Senate had overwhelmingly approved the plan and a tumultuous few days among House Republicans, this morning Congress voted to put off a steep cut in Medicare physician reimbursements that was to take effect on January 1, 2012.

FDA approves new combination for hypertension

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:45:34 EST

The new agent is the first fixed-dose therapy in the US to combine an angiotensin-receptor blocker with the diuretic chlorthalidone.

First data to show antihypertensive therapy prolongs life

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:00:25 EST

The first-ever long-term data from a high-blood-pressure trial, the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program, reveals that people taking the antihypertensives lived longer free from cardiovascular disease and died less often from CV causes. The results should help encourage patients to comply with medication and doctors to prescribe it, say the researchers.

ALTITUDE halted: Adverse events when aliskiren added to ACE, ARB therapy

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:20:02 EST

Data and safety monitors for ALTITUDE noted that patients in the trial taking aliskiren instead of placebo on top of ACE or ARB therapy experienced an increased incidence of nonfatal stroke, renal complications, hyperkalemia, and hypotension.

Overeating, salt, the real culprits in stroke risk

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:15:41 EST

The quality and quantity of a person's diet are more important determinants of stroke risk than the foods and nutrients consumed.

Improving BP in middle age pays off later

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:30:20 EST

Most studies of lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease that have focused on BP look at one index point, so researchers have examined multiple pooled studies to see how changes in BP over time during middle age affect lifetime risk.

Combining wireless sensors and genomics for CVD prevention?

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:00:31 EST

Monitoring an individual's risk for MI in the future would ideally first take into account his or her genome sequence or other biomarkers and then might use an implanted nanosensor smaller than a grain of sand. In an excerpt from his new book, The Creative Destruction of Medicine, theheart.org's editor in chief offers a glimpse of what that might look like.

AHA Statistics: New year, same trends

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:00:12 EST

The new annual update on the state of America's heart health is out and provides some encouraging news about outcomes while underscoring the severity of the country's problems with obesity and poor fitness.

CPAP benefits in metabolic syndrome

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:00:00 EST

Three months of treatment with continuous positive airway pressure was associated with improvements in many components of the metabolic syndrome in a new study in patients with both metabolic syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea.