April 3, 2020

AHA News: Dropping Blood Pressure May Predict Frailty, Falls in Older People

MONDAY, March 30, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- Blood pressure that goes down when you stand up is associated with frailty and falls in older people, according to a new study that advocates more testing.

The research, published Monday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, delved into the relationship between geriatric patients and orthostatic hypotension – a type of low blood pressure that occurs when you stand up, sometimes causing you to feel dizzy or lightheaded. The condition occurs in 5% to 30% of people over 65.

March 30, 2020

U.S. Deaths From High Blood Pressure Soar, Especially in the South: Study

MONDAY, March 23, 2020 -- There's been a sharp increase in high blood pressure-related deaths in the United States, particularly in rural areas, a new study says.

Researchers analyzed data on more than 10 million U.S. deaths between 2007 and 2017 and found that death rates linked to high blood pressure (hypertension) rose 72% in rural areas and 20% in urban areas.

March 30, 2020

Up Your Steps to Lower Blood Pressure, Heart Study Suggests

THURSDAY, March 26, 2020 -- If you have high blood pressure, you can take steps to lower it by walking more every day, new research suggests.

In the study, researchers analyzed data from about 640 adults who participated in the Framingham Heart Study, which focuses on heart disease risk factors and has been ongoing for more than 70 years.

March 4, 2020

Recommended Diuretic Drug Tied to Harmful Side Effects

TUESDAY, Feb. 18, 2020 -- Patients taking a common diuretic to help lower blood pressure may be better off with a similarly effective but safer one, a new study suggests.

Current guidelines recommend the drug chlorthalidone (Thalitone) as the first-line diuretic. But it can have serious side effects that can be avoided with another diuretic, hydrochlorothiazide (Hydrodiuril), researchers say.

March 4, 2020

At High Risk for Heart Disease? Strict Blood Pressure Control Should Help

FRIDAY, Feb. 28, 2020 -- If you're at high risk for heart disease, lowering your blood pressure below the standard target level may help extend your life, a new study suggests.

Specifically, a systolic blood pressure target of less than 120 mm Hg -- rather than the standard 140 mm Hg -- could give someone an extra six months to three years of life, depending on their age when they begin intensive blood pressure control.

March 3, 2020

AHA News: Could Sunshine Lower Blood Pressure? Study Offers Enlightenment

FRIDAY, Feb. 28, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- Exposure to sunshine is linked to lower blood pressure, says a new study that included hundreds of thousands of patients at dialysis clinics across the United States. But don't use this news as an excuse to book a beach vacation just yet.

For the new study, appearing Friday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers examined blood pressure readings from more than 342,000 patients at nearly 2,200 clinics over three years, starting in January 2011. More than a third of the patients were African American.