(Nico De Pasquale Photography/Moment, Getty Images) Systolic blood pressure is the best way to predict future cardiovascular events and death, irrespective of age, according to new research. But in younger people, diastolic blood pressure could still be important. Systolic pressure – the upper number in a blood pressure reading – measures how hard the heart…
(Sean Justice/DigitalVision, Getty Images) High blood pressure accelerates memory loss and other cognitive declines for middle-aged or older adults, even when it only goes up slightly and for a short time, new research shows. Conversely, controlling high blood pressure slows the speed of cognitive decline, according to a study published Monday in the American Heart…
(champc/iStock, Getty Images) Blood pressure among adults decreased significantly during a 45-year period, according to new research that may offer encouragement for the millions who continue to struggle to control their blood pressure. The study, published Monday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, sought to pinpoint the magnitude of blood pressure improvement in the…
(Radachynskyi/iStock, Getty Images) A test that measures blood flow changes in the brain shows people with high blood pressure are more likely to experience poorer communication between brain regions than those with normal blood pressure, according to a small study. The research, published Monday in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, also found those with…
(MaximFesenko/iStock, Getty Images) People with diabetes who have eight or more alcoholic drinks a week could increase their odds of high blood pressure by at least 62%, according to a new study. Researchers used data from a one-time questionnaire to examine the relationship between alcohol consumption and blood pressure in more than 10,000 adults with…
(mixetto/E+, Getty Images) People taking part in a pharmacist-led telemonitoring program to control high blood pressure had about half as many cardiovascular events as those monitored through routine office visits, according to a new study. The research, published Monday in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, used data from 450 people with uncontrolled high blood…
(Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/DigitalVision, Getty Images) Certain medications that lower blood pressure also might lower the risk of depression, a new study shows. Researchers analyzed data on more than 3.7 million adults in Denmark who took any of the 41 most commonly prescribed high blood pressure medications, including 37 medicines approved for use in the…
(Chinnapong/iStock, Getty Images) Having high blood pressure for long periods may increase the chance of small vessel damage in the brain, which has been linked to dementia and stroke, according to a new study. Scientists have long known high blood pressure, also called hypertension, can lead to stroke, and past studies also have connected it…
(Hiroshi Watanabe/Stone, Getty Images) Medications commonly prescribed to treat high blood pressure also could reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, according to a new study. Researchers reviewed health records of 187,897 adults in Hong Kong from 2005 to 2013. Those who took medicines that block angiotensin, a chemical that causes arteries to narrow, had a…
(ipopba/iStock, Getty Images) The top number on a blood pressure test is widely viewed as the best gauge of a person’s overall risk for heart disease. But the bottom number could be important when it comes to evaluating the chance of a person having scars on their brain that could be an indicator for dementia,…