.
Set delivery address
Change
Set delivery address
Change

Good science: 3 key studies on hypertension

Studies investigating hypertension are shedding new light on the condition. Find out more here.

16 July 2015
by Meg de Jong

Hypertension is a chronic condition that results in very high blood pressure. Those who suffer from it will be familiar with the dizziness, headaches and even anxiety that can be symptomatic.

The good news is that studies are being done around the world to find out more about the malady. Here are some recent findings that may be of interest to you:

1. Folic acid may help lower risk of stroke

A recent Chinese study has learned that folic acid, commonly taken by pregnant women to defend against birth defects, may also help to lower the risk of a stroke in people who have high blood pressure when taken in combination with hypertension medication.

The study, which looked at over 20 000 adults over four and a half years, found that taking folic acid lessened the likelihood of a stroke by 21 percent.

The study, led by Dr Yong Huo of Peking University First Hospital in Beijing, was published in March this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Read here for more on this study: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/290908.php

2. Young adults at greater risk for heart disease

A 30-year study in the US has found that high blood pressure in young adulthood is a strong predictor of heart problems later in life.

A team lead by Dr Donald Lloyd-Jones, a professor of epidemiology and cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, US, looked at over 27 000 patients between the ages of 18 and 49. They learned that women with high systolic pressure (the first of two numbers in a blood pressure reading) had a 55 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease, while men were at a 23 percent higher risk.

"Doctors should not ignore isolated systolic high blood pressure in younger adults, since it clearly has implications for their future health," Dr Lloyd-Jones reported. The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in January 2015. Read here for more on this study: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150126164644.htm

3. Canned consumables could raise your blood pressure

The chemical bisphenol A (BPA), which is widely found in the lining of canned goods including canned food and cooldrinks, may cause your blood pressure to rise, a new study suggests.

Lead researcher in the study, Dr Yun-Chul Hong, who is the director of the Environmental Health Center at Seoul National University College of Medicine in Korea, hypothesizes that BPA, which acts like the hormone oestrogen, raises blood pressure as it interacts with cells in the heart and blood vessels that are sensitive to oestrogen.

The study looked at 60 men and women over the age of 60. The report appeared in the online journal Hypertension in December 2014. Read here for more on this study: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/286642.php

How Clicks Clinics can help you

Clicks Clinics will help you identify and manage hypertension with their wide range of screening tests. These include:

  • Blood Pressure (BP) Test
  • Cholesterol Testing and Consultation
  • Lipogram Blood Test (to determine different types of cholesterol)
  • Clicks Full Basic Screening (BP, Body Mass Index or BMI, meal guide and exercise plan)
  • Clicks Screening Measurements only (BP and BMI)
  • Clicks Comprehensive Screening (BP, BMI, Glucose and Cholesterol screening, plus meal and exercise plan)

To make an appointment at a Clicks Clinic, call 0860 254 257 or visit Clicks Clinic online.

IMAGE CREDIT: 123rf.com

Read More: Heart Disease Super Section