Individuals with diagnosed hypertension in the United States appear to have lower blood pressure readings and better hypertension control than patients in five western European countries – Archives of Internal Medicine, JAMA/Archives journal.
Some 50 million Americans have hypertension, that is, blood pressure measuring above the normal range (less than 120/80 mmHg). If untreated, it can lead to heart attacks, strokes, or kidney disease. Lifestyle changes are the first-stage treatment for the disease, but if they fail, medications are prescribed. In a soon-to-be-released study using an animal model, scientists have found that tanshinone IIA, an active ingredient of danshen, reduces blood pressure.
New research has revealed that high blood pressure causes up to 66 percent of cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease and stroke, in the Asia-Pacific Region.
Chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer result in more deaths and account for more years of healthy life lost than most communicable diseases, and yet little international aid is focused on preventing or treating these conditions. Cardiovascular disease causes 30 percent of all deaths globally and 27 percent of deaths in low income countries. By comparison, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, combined, account for 10 percent of all deaths globally and 11 percent of death in developing countries.
Start! is an American Heart Association movement calling on all Americans and their employers to live longer, more heart-healthy lives through walking and other healthy habits.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the School of Arts and Sciences have shown that a well-known protein structure acts as a molecular spring, explaining one way that clots may stretch and bend under such physical stresses as blood flow. This knowledge will inform researchers about clot physiology in such conditions as wound healing, stroke and cardiovascular disease.
Mayo Clinic researchers have demonstrated in two new studies that availability of data supporting testosterone?s efficacy in treating sexual dysfunction and its cardiovascular safety, is very limited.
Former prison inmates were at high risk for death after release from prison, particularly during the first 2 weeks. Interventions are necessary to reduce the risk of death after release from prison — a new study revealed in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in the United States. Although some risk factors, such as age and heredity, cannot be controlled, many factors, including smoking, cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity and inactivity can be modified, thus, lowering the risk. This lifestyle concern is thoroughly explored in the headline article of the debut issue of the new American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine (AJLM) published by SAGE.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have demonstrated the potential of a new type of therapy for patients who suffer from high cholesterol levels. The findings are in the January 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). In this study, patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), a high-risk condition refractory to conventional therapy, had a remarkable 51 percent reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad cholesterol” levels.