Hypertension

Elderly and frail patients whose blood pressure is also being treated need to be carefully treated, suggest findings published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a polypill for hypertension, a combination of perindopril arginine and amlodipine (Prestalia/ Symplmed Pharma-Servier).

This 27-year old female medical student with recently diagnosed hypertension is seen following a chest x-ray in work up of a positive PPD. Upon questioning, the patient notes what she described as "gray-out spells" when tired and leg numbness with exercise after periods of sitting.

A 35 year-old man with a history of hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea and obesity presents to clinic with complaints of non-cardiac chest discomfort. He is requesting refills of his blood pressure medications. His insurance changed 6 months ago and he has not had them since. The nurse performs the intake vital signs and reports that the patient has a blood pressure of 280/150 mmHg.

The most common cause of sudden cardiac death in young people is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an inherited condition that can lead to heart failure, angina, arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death. There is no medical treatment shown to halt or reverse the progression of the disease-just palliative care or surgery.

In older adults, mild control of systolic pressure is good enough, an Oregon research team has found. Writing in Drugs & Aging, Leah Goeres and colleagues at the College of Pharmacy at Oregon State University and Oregon Health & Science University said that for adults age 60 and over, said a reading of 150 for systolic blood pressure (SPB) is adequate-upsetting the conventional wisdom that these patients should get enough medications or other treatments to bring SPB down to 140.

In this edition of Clinical Forum, we asked 3 Cardiology Review editorial board members to comment on the role of renal denervation following the publication of the SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial results.

Contrave (naltrexone hydrochloride and bupropion hydrochloride extended-release tablets) is a treatment option for chronic weight management in addition to a reduced-calorie diet and physical activity.

A hypertension medication was reported as being effective for treating post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, according to the results of a new study.

Despite these improvements in medical technology, diabetic nephropathy remains unpredictable and life-threatening. Identifying high-risk patients at an early stage could help clinicians take appropriate steps to reduce risk.

Regularly consuming probiotics may improve blood pressure, particularly for people with hypertension, according to a new study.

New research on the link between antihypertensive medications and atrial fibrillation suggests diuretics may trigger new cases of the condition, while angiotensin-converting enzymes may protect against it.

Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have released a study showing the potential of a dangerous interaction between a common supplement and prescription medication.

The American Society of Hypertension (ASH) is the largest US professional organization dedicated to eradicating hypertension and its consequences. The following study presentations were highlights of the organization's 29th annual meeting in New York City.

The development of epilepsy and subsequent seizures was prevented in animal models following the use of losartan, a common hypertension drug.

Study results to be presented at the 2014 AAN annual meeting show asymptomatic carotid stenosis may also contribute to impaired memory, cognitive function, and decision making.

Study results show testosterone therapy reduces total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides while boosting high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

A preliminary study in healthy young volunteers found that drinking green tea reduced the blood pressure-lowering effect of a single dose of nadolol.

Many years in the making, but not without controversy, the JNC 8 is a welcomed evidence-based guideline for the management of hypertension.

Although there appears to be no difference in blood pressure reduction in patients who take aspirin at bedtime compared to those who take it when they awake in the morning, bedtime aspirin may be associated with reduced morning platelet reactivity.

Study results presented at CHEST 2013 show that patients given beta-blockers may actually be at increased risk of having an adverse cardiac event during a noncardiac surgical procedure.

Study results show improvements in body composition, intrahepatic lipids, and cardiovascular risk markers in obese men treated with growth hormone for six months compared with placebo.