News tagged with high blood pressure

Is that sleepiness during pregnancy normal or a sign of sleep apnea?

(Medical Xpress) -- Most pregnant women complain of being tired. Some of them however, could be suffering more than normal fatigue associated with their pregnancy; they may have developed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a ...

Medicine & Health / Health

created 16 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

CDC: Bread beats out chips as biggest salt source

Bread and rolls are the No. 1 source of salt in the American diet, accounting for more than twice as much sodium as salty junk food like potato chips.

Medicine & Health / Health

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1

Clopidogrel with aspirin doesn't prevent more small strokes, may increase risk of bleeding, death

The anti-blood clot regimen that adds the drug clopidogrel (Plavix) to aspirin treatment is unlikely to prevent recurrent strokes and may increase the risk of bleeding and death in patients with subcortical stroke according ...

Medicine & Health / Cardiology

created Feb 03, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

We are getting fatter, whichever way we turn

We are getting fatter - no matter which way we look at it, a Deakin University analysis of two popular obesity testing methods has found.

Medicine & Health / Health

created Feb 03, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Potatoes lower blood pressure in people with obesity and hypertension without increasing weight

The first study to check the effects of eating potatoes on blood pressure in humans has concluded that two small helpings of purple potatoes (Purple Majesty) a day decreases blood pressure by about 4 percent without causing ...

Medicine & Health / Health

created Feb 01, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New study finds potential link between daily consumption of diet soft drinks and risk of vascular events

Individuals who drink diet soft drinks on a daily basis may be at increased risk of suffering vascular events such as stroke, heart attack, and vascular death. This is according to a new study by Hannah Gardener and her colleagues ...

Medicine & Health / Health

created Jan 31, 2012 | popularity 3.4 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

MS drug prevented fatal heart condition in lab study

A drug used to treat multiple sclerosis may also be effective at preventing and reversing the leading cause of heart attack, a new study has found.

Medicine & Health / Cardiology

created Jan 30, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

System to deliver organ transplant drug -- without harmful side effects

A new system for delivering a drug to organ transplant patients, which could avoid the risk of harmful side effects, is being developed by scientists at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

created Jan 26, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Elevated risk factors linked to major cardiovascular disease events across a lifetime

In one of the largest-ever analyses of lifetime risks for cardiovascular disease (CVD), researchers have found that middle-aged adults who have one or more elevated traditional risk factors for CVD, such as high blood pressure, ...

Medicine & Health / Cardiology

created Jan 26, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Food fried in olive or sunflower oil is not linked to heart disease

Eating food fried in olive or sunflower oil is not linked to heart disease or premature death, finds a paper published in the British Medical Journal today.

Medicine & Health / Health

created Jan 24, 2012 | popularity 3.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Tobacco smoking and high blood pressure are biggest killers of Japanese adults

The life expectancy of a person born in Japan is among the highest in the world (82.9 years) yet tobacco smoking and high blood pressure are still the major risk factors for death among adults in Japan, emphasizing the need ...

Medicine & Health / Health

created Jan 24, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Genetic variation increases risk of metabolic side effects in children on some antipsychotics

Researchers have found a genetic variation predisposing children to six-times greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome when taking second-generation anti-psychotic medications. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions ...

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Jan 24, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Taking moments to enjoy life helps patients make better health decisions

The experience of daily positive affect -- a mild, happy feeling -- and self-affirmation helps some patients with chronic diseases, including coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and asthma, make better decisions ...

Medicine & Health / Health

created Jan 23, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Rare kidney disease shows how salt, potassium levels are moderated

High blood pressure (hypertension) is a principal risk factor for heart disease and affects 1 billion people. At least half of them are estimated to be salt-sensitive; their blood pressure rises with sodium intake. New research ...

Medicine & Health / Research

created Jan 23, 2012 | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Multiple medicines may double fall rate for young and middle aged

(Medical Xpress) -- Working-age adults who take combinations of prescription medication may be doubling their risk of serious falls at home according to research from The University of Auckland.

Medicine & Health / Medications

created Jan 23, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Hypertension

Hypertension, also referred to as high blood pressure, HTN or HPN, is a medical condition in which the blood pressure is chronically elevated. In current usage, the word "hypertension" without a qualifier normally refers to systemic, arterial hypertension.

Hypertension can be classified as either essential (primary) or secondary. Essential hypertension indicates that no specific medical cause can be found to explain a patient's condition. About 90-95% of hypertension is essential hypertension. Secondary hypertension indicates that the high blood pressure is a result of (i.e., secondary to) another condition, such as kidney disease or tumours (adrenal adenoma or pheochromocytoma).

Persistent hypertension is one of the risk factors for strokes, heart attacks, heart failure and arterial aneurysm, and is a leading cause of chronic renal failure. Even moderate elevation of arterial blood pressure leads to shortened life expectancy. At severely high pressures, defined as mean arterial pressures 50% or more above average, a person can expect to live no more than a few years unless appropriately treated. Beginning at a systolic pressure (which is peak pressure in the arteries, which occurs near the end of the cardiac cycle when the ventricles are contracting) of 115 mmHg and diastolic pressure (which is minimum pressure in the arteries, which occurs near the beginning of the cardiac cycle when the ventricles are filled with blood) of 75 mmHg (commonly written as 115/75 mmHg), cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk doubles for each increment of 20/10 mmHg.

For more information about Hypertension, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.