Research & Development World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Variable Blood Pressure A Warning Sign For Stroke

By R&D Editors | March 12, 2010

LONDON (AP) – People with occasional spikes in their blood pressure could be at higher risk of having a stroke than those with regularly high blood pressure, new studies said.

In four articles published in the medical journals Lancet and Lancet Neurology, European researchers suggest current guidelines for treating people with high blood pressure need to be revised.

In one of the studies, Peter Rothwell of the Stroke Prevention Research Unit at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, Britain, tracked about 8,000 patients who had had a heart attack. They found patients who had consistently variable blood pressure rates were at least six times more likely to have a stroke than those with regularly high blood pressure.

“We tend to believe average underlying blood pressure rates and ignore occasional high rates as blips,” Rothwell said. “But it turns out they are very informative and that these people, who are mostly not treated for hypertension, could be at high risk of having a stroke.”

In two other studies, Rothwell and colleagues examined the effects of different blood pressure drugs. They found the drugs that reduced occasional spikes in blood pressure rates the best were the most effective at preventing strokes.

No funding was provided for any of the studies.

Rothwell estimated the findings could double the number of people being treated for high blood pressure, which accounts for about 50 percent of a person’s stroke risk. High blood pressure affects more than half of all adults.

Experts have previously studied whether people with fluctuating blood pressure rates are at greater risk of having a stroke, but the Lancet studies are the first to track the risk over several years.

The American Heart Association recommends everyone with high blood pressure check their rates at home regularly, since having readings taken a few times a year in the doctor’s office may not be accurate enough.

Other doctors said while Rothwell and colleagues’ findings are intriguing, more evidence is needed before changing treatment recommendations.

“We can’t change the guidelines every time something new comes up,” said Lars Hjalmar Lindholm of Umea University Hospital in Sweden, who was not linked to the studies. “We should be a bit cautious before we change how patients are treated.”

Still, Lindholm called the Lancet studies “a fantastic contribution” to our understanding of blood pressure.

Rothwell said people with variable blood pressure rates shouldn’t rush to change their treatment, but should talk to their doctors. “The damaging effect of variable blood pressure takes months and years to develop,” he said.

He said patients with consistently high blood pressure should continue to be monitored – and that some of them with occasionally high rates could benefit from changing their medications.

“I wouldn’t want people to think if their blood pressure is stable and high, that isn’t a bad thing. They definitely need to be treated,” he said. “It’s just that the patients we’ve currently been reassuring, whose blood pressure isn’t high all the time, also need to be treated.”

Date: March 12, 2010
Source: Associated Press

Related Articles Read More >

Open-source Boltz-2 can speed binding-affinity predictions 1,000-fold
Thermo Fisher’s new Orbitrap Excedion Pro targets complex biotherapeutics for drug development
FDA’s new ‘Elsa’ AI set to expedite clinical protocol reviews
Waters touts six-fold robustness with new Xevo TQ Absolute XR
rd newsletter
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, trends, and strategies in Research & Development.
RD 25 Power Index

R&D World Digital Issues

Fall 2024 issue

Browse the most current issue of R&D World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading R&D magazine today.

Research & Development World
  • Subscribe to R&D World Magazine
  • Enews Sign Up
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing
  • Global Funding Forecast

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search R&D World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE