AHA News: Worried About Dementia? Check This Blood Pressure Number

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 8, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- 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, stroke or falls.

Researchers in a new study looked at the link between blood pressure scores and the number and location of these brain scars, called white matter lesions. In 1,205 women and men who were 50 and older – two-thirds of whom were Hispanic – the investigators found those with the lowest diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) had fewer white matter lesions on MRI scans than those with higher diastolic blood pressure.

For Older Adults, More Exercise Lowers Heart Disease Risk

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 13, 2019 -- Regular exercise lowers older adults' risk of heart disease and stroke, even if they have health problems such as high blood pressure or diabetes, researchers say.

For the new study, researchers analyzed data from more than 1 million people aged 60 and older in South Korea. The study participants' health was checked in 2009 to 2010, again in 2011 to 2012, and they were followed until the end of 2016.

Lots of Overtime Could Send Your Blood Pressure Soaring

THURSDAY, Dec. 19, 2019 -- Long hours spent working will do no favors for your blood pressure, a new Canadian study suggests.

The five-year study tracked the working hours and blood pressure readings of 3,500 white-collar workers at three public institutions in the province of Quebec.

Want Extra Years of Life? Keep Blood Pressure Tightly Controlled

TUESDAY, Nov. 12, 2019 -- Tighter control of high blood pressure may add years to people's lives, a new study estimates.

Researchers calculated that for a typical 50-year-old with high blood pressure, more aggressive treatment could translate into three extra years of life. Eighty-year-olds would have less time to gain, but it could extend their lives by an average of 10 months, the study projected.

AHA News: High Blood Pressure Common Among Black Young Adults

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 13, 2019 (American Heart Association News) -- About 1 in 4 young adults has high blood pressure. But few are getting treated, with new research concluding black young adults are especially vulnerable.

In a study that included 15,171 black, Mexican American and white adults, researchers found that nearly 31% of black young adults had high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. It was the highest rate among the three groups studied.

Recalls of Blood Pressure Med Took Toll on Patients' Health

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 20, 2019 -- Emergency room visits for high blood pressure surged following last year's recall of the popular heart drug valsartan, Canadian researchers report.

Within the first month of the recall, there was a 55% increase of people coming to Ontario-area emergency departments complaining of high blood pressure, said lead researcher Cynthia Jackevicius. She is a senior scientist with the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, in Toronto.