For more than 40 years, researchers have suspected there must be a natural hormone that could safely flush sodium out of the body and could be harnessed to develop more effective and safer treatments for high blood pressure, or hypertension. Currently, drugs that lower sodium levels all have serious side effects because they also reduce potassium levels.

A hypertension vaccine could be an important alternative to conventional drug therapy because of patients’ inconsistent drug intake — if further research supports results from a small study testing the safety and tolerability of a vaccine.

Downing an “energy drink” may boost blood pressure as well as energy, researchers said in a small study presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2007.

A simplified, step-care protocol for treating high blood pressure was more effective than guidelines-based practice in helping people reduce their blood pressure, according to late-breaking clinical trial results presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2007.

Fewer people treated for high blood pressure return to normal pressure levels in the winter compared to those treated in the summer, Veterans Affairs (VA) researchers reported at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2007.

In the United States, African Americans have higher blood pressure and are at greater risk of hypertension than whites. In addition, African Americans report poorer sleep quality and exhibit a smaller nighttime decrease in blood pressure than whites, a phenomenon called blood pressure “dipping.”

Eating garlic is one of the best ways to lower high blood pressure and protect yourself from cardiovascular disease. A new study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) shows this protective effect is closely linked to how much hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is produced from garlic compounds interacting with red blood cells.

As many as 50 percent of overweight men and women with high blood pressure may have hypertension as a result of being overweight, researchers reported today at the American Heart Association’s 61st Annual Fall Conference of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research.

About half of California adults diagnosed with high blood pressure, or hypertension, do not take medication to lower it, researchers reported today at the American Heart Association’s 61st Annual Fall Conference of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research.

While obesity has been shown to contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes, being overweight in old age does not lead to memory problems, according to a study published September 19, 2007, in the online edition of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Patients with high blood pressure respond very differently to antihypertensive medication, making treatment selection tricky for physicians. But new research published in the online open access journal, BMC Medical Genetics, pinpoints a number of gene-drug interactions that could allow medication to be tailored to individual patients based on their genetics.

Many seniors quit taking drugs for chronic illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure when they exceed their drug plan’s yearly spending limits, according to a RAND Corporation study issued today.