Study reveals important new target for high blood pressure treatment

Source: British Heart Foundation

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Date of publication: March 2017

Publication type: Research

In a nutshell: New more effective treatments for high blood pressure could be possible thanks to the discovery that the nitric oxide that regulates blood pressure is formed in nerves rather than in the walls of blood vessels.

The surprising findings, published in the journal Hypertension, from BHF-funded researchers at King’s College London, follows a world-first study in healthy humans, and builds on previous work that established the fundamental role that the gas nitric oxide plays in regulating blood pressure.

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Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library.

Acknowledgement: British Heart Foundation

Health matters: combating high blood pressure Guidance

Source: Public Health England

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Date of publication: January 2017

Publication type: Guidance

In a nutshell: Public Health England has published this professional resource, which outlines how providers and commissioners can reduce the population average blood pressure through improved prevention, detection and management.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library.

Acknowledgement:  Public Health England

Stress in early adulthood may lead to heighted risk of high blood pressure

Source: British Heart Foundation

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Date of publication: February 2016

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell:

A new study from the online journal Heart suggests a link between the tendency to become easily stressed in adolescents and a heightened risk of developing high blood pressure in later life. The research looked at more than 1.5 million 18-year-old men with normal blood pressure, who had been conscripted to the army in Sweden between 1969 and 1997 until the end of 2012 and were assessed for their levels of stress resilience. At the end of the study, those who were more prone to stress a at the age of 18 were associated with a heightened risk of high blood pressure. The study also shows an increase in the number of cases of high blood pressure, if a young person is overweight.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library.

Acknowledgement: British Heart Foundation

Study suggests more people should be given blood pressure-lowering medication

Source: British Heart Foundation

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Date of publication: January 2016

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell:  A study published today in the Lancet suggests that blood pressure-lowering drugs should be offered to all individuals at high risk of having a heart attack or stroke regardless of their blood pressure at the start of treatment. Currently, doctors only offer blood pressure lowering drugs to people considered to have ‘high’ blood pressure. However, the research suggests that even lowering the blood pressure – within reason – of someone with ‘normal’ blood pressure could lower their risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library.

Acknowledgement:  British Heart Foundation

Self-management support for people with hypertension

Source: Health Services and Delivery Research, 2014, 2 (53) p. 221-250

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Date of publication: December 2014

Publication type: Systematic review

In a nutshell: This study by the National Institute for Health Research provides an overview of the evidence on self-management support for a range of long-term conditions. Its objective is to inform commissioning and healthcare providers. Chapter 15 examines the research on self-management support for hypertension.

Length of publication: 30 pages

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library.

Acknowledgement: National Institute for Health Research

Healthier lives: diabetes, hypertension and NHS Health Check

Source: Public Health England

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Date of publication: October 2014

Publication type: Website

In a nutshell: Healthier Lives is a new interactive tool which shows the large variation in prevalence and treatment of hypertension and diabetes around England as well as the provision of the NHS Health Check to prevent heart disease and other conditions. The data allows people to see how their GP surgery, CCG and Local Authority are performing compared to the national average.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library.

Acknowledgement: Press release

Blood pressure targets for hypertension in people with diabetes mellitus

Source: The Cochrane Library

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Date of publication: October 2013

Publication type: Review

In a nutshell: This Cochrane Review analysed five studies that evaluated whether lower blood pressure targets were better than standard blood pressure targets for diabetic patients. The evidence did not support lower blood pressure targets in people with raised blood pressure and diabetes. However, further research is needed.

Length of publication: 47 pages

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library.

Acknowledgement: Cochrane Hypertension Group

A global brief on hypertension

Source: World Health Organization

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Date of publication: April 2013

Publication type: Report

In a nutshell: This World Health Organization document describes why hypertension is a global public health issue, despite being both preventable and treatable. It explains how governments, health professionals, the private sector and individuals can work together to reduce hypertension and its impact.

Length of publication: 40 pages

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library.

Future cardiovascular risk: interpreting the importance of increased blood pressure during pregnancy

Source: Circulation, 2013, 127 (6), pp. 668-669

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Date of publication: February 2013

Publication type: Editorial

In a nutshell: This study found that hypertension during pregnancy, even without known risk factors, is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. The authors suggest that clinical monitoring and early intervention could be beneficial.

Length of publication: 2 pages

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library.

Acknowledgement: Elevated blood pressure in pregnancy and subsequent chronic disease risk