Hypertension

Hypertension News

• Excess Salt a Factor in 2.3 Million Deaths Annually Worldwide

  Overabundant salt intake was a factor in nearly 2.3 million deaths from heart attacks, strokes and other heart-related causes that occurred worldwide in 2010, according to a new study. That number represents 15 percent of all heart-related deaths that year, the researchers said.

• Blacks Who Take Vitamin D May See Dip in Blood Pressure

  Black Americans who take vitamin D supplements may significantly lower their blood pressure, a new study suggests. “Compared with other races, blacks in the United States are more likely to have vitamin D deficiency and more likely to have high blood pressure,” said lead researcher Dr. John Forman, an assistant professor of medicine at the renal division of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

• Treating Kidneys With Radio Waves May Ease Tough-to-Control Hypertension

  By Steven ReinbergHealthDay Reporter MONDAY, Dec. 17 (HealthDay News) — For patients whose high blood pressure cannot be controlled despite taking several medications, a short burst of radio waves at the nerves around the kidneys may do the trick, a small new study says. The treatment was effective for at least six months. The findings could be [...]

• Common Heart Drug Might Dampen Some Autism Symptoms

  A medication typically prescribed to control high blood pressure that’s commonly referred to as a water pill may ease some of the symptoms of autism, researchers say. That’s especially true for people who have milder forms of the disorder, the new research indicates.

• Could Kids’ Salt Intake Affect Their Weight?

  Children who eat a lot of salty food also tend to down more sugary drinks — which, in turn, might be related to their risk of obesity, a new study suggests. The findings raise the possibility that curbing kids’ salt intake could end up benefiting their waistlines, researchers report in the Dec. 10 online and January print issue of Pediatrics.