Hypertension

The true prevalence of resistant hypertension is unknown, but it is estimated to occur in up to 20% of patients with chronic hypertension.

The annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology was held from Feb. 28 to March 4 in San Diego and attracted more than 5,000 participants from around the world, including clinicians, academicians, allied health professionals, and others interested in allergic and immunologic disease. The conference highlighted recent advances in allergy, asthma, and immunology.

Researchers associated with US Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers have examined the impact of group medical clinics on lipid control among patients with uncontrolled hypertension.

After just releasing new hypertension guidelines, the American Society of Hypertension (ASH) is now collaborating with the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) on another set of guidelines expected to be out by the end of 2014 or early 2015.

A new study estimates the costs of treating atrial fibrillation as well as the comparative costs of treating it with warfarin and newer oral anticoagulants.

A preliminary study in healthy young volunteers found that drinking green tea reduced the blood pressure-lowering effect of a single dose of nadolol.

Many years in the making, but not without controversy, the JNC 8 is a welcomed evidence-based guideline for the management of hypertension.

With nearly one-third of US adults suffering from vitamin D deficiency, and studies showing a strong association between vitamin D deficiency and hypertension risk, supplementation with vitamin D may increase the effectiveness of hypertension treatments.

Although there appears to be no difference in blood pressure reduction in patients who take aspirin at bedtime compared to those who take it when they awake in the morning, bedtime aspirin may be associated with reduced morning platelet reactivity.

Although they had more cardiovascular comorbidities, patients with atrial fibrillation and diabetes experienced rates of ischemic stroke comparable to those in AF patients without diabetes.

Presentation at the 2013 Southern Hospital Medicine Conference reviewed the clinical application of several key risk indices, including the Revised Cardiac Risk Index and the Vascular Study Group of New England Risk Index.

Suma Jain, MD, a pulmonologist at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation, provides a clinical update on the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension (PH).

A recent study found that drug regimens containing renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular and all-cause deaths among patients starting hemodialysis, compared to regimens containing only beta blockers (BBs).

Researchers discover that metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with poorer executive function (EF), but the syndrome's components aren't additive.

Study results presented at CHEST 2013 show that patients given beta-blockers may actually be at increased risk of having an adverse cardiac event during a noncardiac surgical procedure.

Examining data from the National Health and Nutrition Exam Survey tells physicians a great deal about childhood obesity and risk factors for high blood pressure.

Group visits can be an especially effective tool for providing follow-up care to patients with chronic conditions, offering them increased access to clinicians and other providers, support and encouragement from their peers, and enhanced educational opportunities.

Early diagnosis by primary care physicians and aggressive treatment are essential to slowing the epidemic of kidney and cardiovascular disease.

Due to improvements in treatment and other factors, the number of HIV-positive patients over age 50 is growing rapidly. With their greater risk for serious comorbidities such as depression and addiction, these patients represent a unique challenge for clinicians and caregivers.

A pair of researchers based in Texas has gained valuable insight into the correlation between individual cell type in the tissues of gout patients and comorbidity factors of the chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder.

With strong clinical evidence and adverse event reports linking Daiichi Sankyo's high blood pressure medication Benicar (olmesartan medoxomil) to the gastrointestinal condition known as sprue-like enteropathy, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved changes for the drug's label to include a warning about that risk.

At ENDO 2013, an expert panel discussed the consensus statement on the evaluation and treatment of hypertriglyceridemia and the evidence supporting the recommendations.

Study results show improvements in body composition, intrahepatic lipids, and cardiovascular risk markers in obese men treated with growth hormone for six months compared with placebo.

Population-based study finds patients who use thiazide medications face a nearly fivefold increased risk of developing hyponatremia compared to patients who do not use these medications.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Kcentra [prothrombin complex concentrate (human)] for the urgent reversal of anticoagulation induced by vitamin K antagonist (VKA) therapies such as warfarin in adult patients with acute major bleeding.

Chronic pain is a difficult condition to diagnose and manage, especially since most diagnostic measures are subjective and treatment varies from patient to patient. A key to diagnosing and treating chronic pain is to have a strong understanding of the different diagnostic tools and treatment options available.

As an adjunct to diet and exercise, Amarin's lipid-regulating agent Vascepa (icosapent ethyl capsules) is indicated to reduce triglyceride levels in adult patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia, or very high triglyceride (TG) levels greater than or equal to 500 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).

Jeffrey S. Borer, MD, of the Howard Gilman Institute for Heart Valve Disease, discusses the factors cardiologists consider in selecting specific beta blockers for heart failure patients.