A hypertension medication called olmesartan medoxomil is effective in reversing the narrowing of the arteries that occurs in patients with high blood pressure, according to a new study.

Bleeding from ruptured esophageal varices is the main complication of portal hypertension and a major cause of death. About one-third of variceal bleeding episodes are fatal while 70% of survivors re-bleed within a year.

Two new clinical trials presented by Calpis Co., Ltd. at the American Society of Hypertension (ASH) Twenty-Third Annual Scientific Meeting and Exposition (ASH 2008) in New Orleans show that the milk-derived dietary supplement AmealPeptide® reduces blood pressure in hypertensive patients.

A large, randomized drug trial has shown for the first time that statin drugs result in a modest, but significant, reduction in blood pressure. These effects may contribute to the reduced risk of stroke and cardiovascular events reported for patients on statins, according to lead investigator Beatrice Golomb, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and director of UC San Diego’s Statin Study.

The medications known as statins, typically prescribed to lower blood cholesterol levels, may also modestly reduce blood pressure, according to a report in the April 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

For the first time, the American Heart Association has issued guidelines to help patients and healthcare providers tackle resistant high blood pressure that seems to defy treatment.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers have found that rare mutations in three genes contribute to blood pressure variation in the general population.

Adding the relaxation response, a stress-management approach, to other lifestyle interventions may significantly improve treatment of the type of hypertension most common in the elderly.

Adults with hypertension may be able to lower their weight and their blood pressure by following a weight-loss diet or using the medication orlistat, according to a meta-analysis of previously published studies reported in the March 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Combination therapy of Prostacyclin, Sildenafil, and Bosentan helped a young male patient with severe portopulmonary hypertension improve enough to receive a liver transplant. It was also used post-transplant to help him maintain his health. These findings are published in the March issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal by John Wiley & Sons.

A relatively small proportion of individuals with hypertension (high blood pressure) eat diets that align with government guidelines for controlling the disease, according to a report in the February 11 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

A new study elucidates the connection between an enzyme involved in blood pressure control and symptoms of the metabolic syndrome.