High Blood Pressure

Taking stairs, raking leaves may equal a trip to the gym, study finds

New research at Oregon State University suggests the health benefits of small amounts of activity – even as small as one- and two-minute increments that add up to 30 minutes per day – can be just as beneficial ...

Health created Jan 29, 2013 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (8) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Discovery of nitric oxide delivery mechanism may point to new avenue for treating high blood pressure

(Medical Xpress)—Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have shed new light on blood pressure regulation with the discovery of an unexpected mechanism by which hemoglobin controls the delivery of nitric ...

Medical research created Nov 14, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Methods to repair kidney cells, assess kidney function on the horizon

Researchers may have found a way to block kidney-destroying inflammation and help damaged kidney cells recover.

Medical research created Apr 16, 2013 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (5) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

High blood pressure damages the brain in early middle age

Uncontrolled high blood pressure damages the brain's structure and function as early as young middle-age, and even the brains of middle-aged people who clinically would not be considered to have hypertension have evidence ...

Neuroscience created Oct 31, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Hypertension traced to source in brain

(Medical Xpress)—When the heart works too hard, the brain may be to blame, says new Cornell research that is changing how scientists look at high blood pressure (hypertension). The study, published in the ...

Medical research created Dec 18, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Sugar fights still simmer as new brain study finds fructose might stimulate appetite

Fructose, a sugar much maligned in recent years, recently took another hit when a preliminary study by Yale University found that it might stimulate appetite more than other sugar types. The results came ...

Health created Jan 14, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Heart repair breakthroughs replace surgeon's knife

(AP)—Have a heart problem? If it's fixable, there's a good chance it can be done without surgery, using tiny tools and devices that are pushed through tubes into blood vessels.

Cardiology created Mar 24, 2013 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0

Cognitive decline 'reversed' in one in four people

(Medical Xpress)—One in four elderly people with mild cognitive impairment – a precursor to dementia – naturally 'reverts' to normal cognition, research from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Mar 28, 2013 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0

Study uncovers mechanism for how grapes reduce heart failure associated with hypertension

A study appearing in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry demonstrates that grapes are able to reduce heart failure associated with chronic high blood pressure (hypertension) by increasing the activity of several genes ...

Cardiology created May 02, 2013 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New stroke gene discovery could lead to tailored treatments

An international study led by King's College London has identified a new genetic variant associated with stroke. By exploring the genetic variants linked with blood clotting – a process that can lead to a stroke – scientists ...

Neuroscience created Feb 01, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Could a common blood pressure drug slow down the progression of Alzheimer's?

A ground-breaking trial that hopes to discover if a drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure could slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) will begin shortly.

Alzheimer's disease & dementia created Mar 04, 2013 | popularity 3.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0

Breathtaking: New treatments for a fatal lung disease

Research paves the way for new approaches in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension, a progressive lung disease that can lead to heart failure within three years.

Medical research created Mar 11, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Does Greek coffee hold the key to a longer life?

The answer to longevity may be far simpler than we imagine; it may in fact be right under our noses in the form of a morning caffeine kick. The elderly inhabitants of Ikaria, the Greek island, boast the highest rates of longevity ...

Health created Mar 18, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

New evidence that egg white protein may help high blood pressure

Scientists reported new evidence today that a component of egg whites—already popular as a substitute for whole eggs among health-conscious consumers concerned about cholesterol in the yolk—may have another beneficial ...

Health created Apr 09, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Drug could improve working memory of people with autism, study finds

People with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have trouble communicating and interacting with others because they process language, facial expressions and social cues differently. Previously, researchers found that ...

Autism spectrum disorders created Apr 15, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast


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.

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