Renal denervation achieves significant and sustained blood pressure reduction

Renal denervation leads to significant and sustained blood pressure reduction for up to 18 months in patients with treatment resistant hypertension, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2012. The new clinical data from the Symplicity HTN-2 randomized clinical trial were presented by principal investigator Dr Murray Esler at the scientific session, associate director of the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute of Melbourne, Australia and by Prof Böhm for the ESC Press Conference.

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URMC clinical trial tests new regimen for hypertension

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center are testing whether different doses of an established blood pressure medication can provide the same benefits as a standard dose in people with mild hypertension, possibly with fewer side effects and at a lower cost. The newly launched clinical trial, funded with a $1.9 million grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, is the first of its kind in the United States.

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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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