High Blood Pressure

CT angiography helps predict heart attack risk

Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is an effective tool for determining the risk of heart attacks and other adverse cardiac events in patients with suspected coronary artery disease but no treatable risk factors, ...

Cardiology created Feb 19, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Youth smoking, obesity may lead to early death

(HealthDay)—Young adults and teens who smoke, are obese and have high blood sugar levels may be more likely to die before they reach their 55th birthday, new government research suggests.

Pediatrics created Feb 18, 2013 | popularity 2 / 5 (2) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Senegal women told 'all black' is beautiful—and healthy

Outraged by adverts urging women to bleach their skin, a spontaneous movement has emerged in Senegal arguing that black is beautiful—and to act otherwise is to risk one's health.

Health created Feb 18, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Academics launch new clinically approved diet, that can help lower the risk of breast cancer

Two academics from The University of Manchester have come up with a new diet which they believe can help lower the risk of breast cancer.

Cancer created Feb 15, 2013 | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Research finds promising approaches to prevent Latino childhood obesity

Guided grocery store trips, menu labeling at restaurants, community gardens, and video-game-based exercise programs are among several promising, culturally appropriate ways to prevent obesity among Latino children, according ...

Overweight and Obesity created Feb 15, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Lack of iron regulating protein contributes to high blood pressure of the lungs

A protein known to regulate iron levels in the body has an unexpectedly important role in preventing a form of high blood pressure that affects the lungs, and in stabilizing the concentration of red cells ...

Medical research created Feb 14, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Birth order linked to increased risk of diabetes, metabolic disorders

–Long a source of sibling rivalry, birth order may raise the risk of first-born children developing diabetes or high blood pressure, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of ...

Diabetes created Feb 12, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Strokes associated with surgery can be devastating

Strokes that occur during or shortly after surgery can be devastating, resulting in longer hospital stays and increased risks of death or long-term disability.

Cardiology created Feb 11, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Reducing sodium in US may save hundreds of thousands of lives over 10 years

Less sodium in the U.S. diet could save 280,000 to 500,000 lives over 10 years, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.

Health created Feb 11, 2013 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

High blood pressure during pregnancy may signal later heart disease risk

even once or twice during routine medical care—can signal substantially higher risks of heart and kidney disease and diabetes, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

Cardiology created Feb 11, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Vascular brain injury greater risk factor than amyloid plaques in cognitive aging

Vascular brain injury from conditions such as high blood pressure and stroke are greater risk factors for cognitive impairment among non-demented older people than is the deposition of the amyloid plaques in the brain that ...

Neuroscience created Feb 11, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Large study shows substance abuse rates higher in teenagers with ADHD

A new study published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry revealed a significantly higher prevalence of substance abuse and cigarette use by adolescents with attention deficit hypera ...

Attention deficit disorders created Feb 11, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

NYC announces progress in effort to reduce salt (Update)

(AP)—Twenty-one companies have met targets in a New York City-led effort to get restaurants and food manufacturers nationwide to lighten up on salt, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Monday.

Health created Feb 11, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Expressing love can improve your health

After giving a talk at a university in Texas, Kory Floyd received an unusual request from an audience member. The young man asked for a prescription for the health booster Floyd had discussed in his presentation.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Feb 11, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Carotid bypass surgery doesn't help cognitive performance after stroke

Surgery to bypass a blocked carotid artery in order to restore adequate blood flow to the brain does not improve cognitive performance in patients who've had a stroke or mini-stroke (TIA), according to research ...

Cardiology created Feb 11, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Hypertension (HTN) or high blood pressure, sometimes arterial hypertension, is a chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is elevated. This requires the heart to work harder than normal to circulate blood through the blood vessels. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and diastolic, which depend on whether the heart muscle is contracting (systole) or relaxed (diastole) between beats. Normal blood pressure is at or below 120/80 mmHg. High blood pressure is said to be present if it is persistently at or above 140/90 mmHg.

Hypertension is classified as either primary (essential) hypertension or secondary hypertension; about 90–95% of cases are categorized as "primary hypertension" which means high blood pressure with no obvious underlying medical cause. The remaining 5–10% of cases (secondary hypertension) are caused by other conditions that affect the kidneys, arteries, heart or endocrine system.

Hypertension is a major risk factor for stroke, myocardial infarction (heart attacks), heart failure, aneurysms of the arteries (e.g. aortic aneurysm), peripheral arterial disease and is a cause of chronic kidney disease. Even moderate elevation of arterial blood pressure is associated with a shortened life expectancy. Dietary and lifestyle changes can improve blood pressure control and decrease the risk of associated health complications, although drug treatment is often necessary in patients for whom lifestyle changes prove ineffective or insufficient.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Latest Spotlight News

Researchers identify first drug targets in childhood genetic tumor disorder

Two mutations central to the development of infantile myofibromatosis (IM)—a disorder characterized by multiple tumors involving the skin, bone, and soft tissue—may provide new therapeutic targets, according to researchers ...

Engineered cytomegalovirus protects monkeys from HIV equivalent

(Medical Xpress)—A new study by researchers in the US has shown that an ancient virus can be modified to help in the fight against the simian immunodeficiency virus SIV, which is the equivalent in monkeys ...

Hormone levels may provide key to understanding psychological disorders in women

Women at a particular stage in their monthly menstrual cycle may be more vulnerable to some of the psychological side-effects associated with stressful experiences, according to a study from UCL.

Going live: Immune cell activation in multiple sclerosis

Biological processes are generally based on events at the molecular and cellular level. To understand what happens in the course of infections, diseases or normal bodily functions, scientists would need to ...

Depression raises diabetics' risk of severe low blood sugar episodes

(Medical Xpress)—Patients with diabetes who are depressed are much more likely to develop episodes of dangerously low blood sugars, or hypoglycemia, than are those who are not depressed, a new study has ...

Controlling mood through the motions of mitochondria

(Medical Xpress)—Regulating the distribution of power in neurons is done by a system that makes the national electric grid look simple by comparison. Each neuron has several thousand mitochondria confined ...

Motion quotient: IQ predicted by ability to filter motion (w/ video)

A brief visual task can predict IQ, according to a new study. This surprisingly simple exercise measures the brain's unconscious ability to filter out visual movement. The study shows that individuals whose ...

New immune system discovered

(Medical Xpress)—A research team, led by Jeremy Barr, a biology post-doctoral fellow, unveils a new immune system that protects humans and animals from infection.

Multiple research teams unable to confirm high-profile Alzheimer's study

Teams of highly respected Alzheimer's researchers failed to replicate what appeared to be breakthrough results for the treatment of this brain disease when they were published last year in the journal Science.

Brain can be trained in compassion, study shows

Until now, little was scientifically known about the human potential to cultivate compassion—the emotional state of caring for people who are suffering in a way that motivates altruistic behavior.