More than half a billion people worldwide live with undetected, untreated hypertension, even as the disease burden shifts from rich nations to poor countries with limited resources to detect and manage the condition. In what researchers describe as a “massive public health failure,” nearly half of the 1.28 billion people…
Cooperation under pressure: Lessons from the COVID-19 swab crisis
A major crisis that accompanied the rise of the pandemic was lack of availability of the nasopharyngeal swab—necessary for testing for COVID-19, which in turn, was necessary to get a grip on the pandemic. An account of how one group addressed that crisis is published this week Journal of Clinical…
Top blood pressure monitors, as chosen by a heart doctor!
Top blood pressure monitors, as chosen by a heart doctor! Leading cardiologist gives his pick of five of the best DIY checking devices Up to one in three Britons has high blood pressure, which raises the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Normal blood pressure is less than 130 (systolic…
As infections rise, Sarajevo’s hospitals feel the pressure
As Bosnia faces soaring coronavirus infections, pressure has grown on hospitals in the capital of Sarajevo that have struggled with rising numbers of COVID-19 patients. The Abdulah Nakas General Hospital in Sarajevo on Thursday morning had 181 patients on its COVID-19 ward and 20 more were trying to be admitted….
AHA News: Few Clinical Studies Examine High Blood Pressure Treatments for Black Americans
MONDAY, Dec. 7, 2020 (American Heart Association News) — High blood pressure affects Black adults in the U.S. more than any other group. But studies exploring its impact on them remain scant, an analysis of clinical trials over the past decade shows. The analysis, published Monday in the Journal of…
US hospitals again under pressure with COVID on the rise
After several weeks of rapidly rising coronavirus cases, hospitals around the United States are once again overwhelmed, forcing local authorities to take new measures to cope with the pandemic. On Wednesday a record 65,368 people were in the hospital with COVID-19 across the country, marking the second day in a…
Study shows 15% of teenagers have high blood pressure and a third are overweight
High blood pressure is hard to detect, which is why hypertension is considered one of the main ‘silent diseases’ that affect the population. With the goal of identifying its risk factors in young people, researchers from the CEU Cardenal Herrera University (CEU UCH) of Valencia have conducted a study among…
High flavanol diet may lead to lower blood pressure
People who consume a diet including flavanol-rich foods and drinks, including tea, apples and berries, could lead to lower blood pressure, according to the first study using objective measures of thousands of UK residents’ diet. The findings, published in Scientific Reports, studied the diet of more than 25,000 people in…
‘Unprecedented’: Experts slam W. House pressure on US health agencies
US President Donald Trump has hinted a COVID-19 vaccine may be ready before the November election, but will it be safe and effective? Experts are worried the country’s world-renowned health institutions responsible for overseeing the approval and distribution processes have become increasingly compromised by political pressure, which could end up…
Home blood pressure test eases GP demand
Patients who need a blood pressure test might not need to visit their GP thanks to a digital system that makes it easier to send results to their doctor. People using the streamlined system—which sends data over the internet or text—had better blood pressure control compared with patients receiving standard…
How pregnant woman’s high blood pressure can change shape of baby’s heart
Mothers who have high blood pressure are more likely to have babies with slightly different-shaped hearts, a finding that could impact future cardiovascular care for those women and their children, according to a new study. The research, published Thursday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, adds a new…