March 5th, 2020
Podcast 255: Salt talks — transcript included
Here we have an interview with Prof. Feng He, whose English is much better than my Mandarin. Thus, I’ve attached a transcript to make her ideas on salt intake (no level is too low) and blood pressure (there’s a dose-response relation with salt) more immediately available than it might be to your ears alone. She’s coauthor […]
November 22nd, 2019
Podcast 243: Lowering high blood pressure lowers dementia risk
Controlling hypertension lowers the relative risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease by roughly 15%. Given that many people have poorly-controlled hypertension, the finding that all antihypertensives are effective in bringing about this result might get your patients to be more adherent. We talk with Dr. Lenore Launer of the NIH’s Institute on Aging about her recent meta-analysis […]
August 14th, 2018
Podcast 223: What are the implications of the BP guidelines?
If adopted, last December’s ACC/AHA guidelines on what pressure levels signal hypertension would label almost two thirds of the U.S. population between ages 45 and 75 as having the condition. The number of people who would be candidates for treatment would almost double — from 8 million to about 15 million. What are the implications of […]
November 9th, 2015
Podcast 189: Blood Pressure Target Should Be 120, SPRINT Data Show
The SPRINT study, suggesting that we aim for a systolic BP target of 120 mm Hg in high-risk hypertensive patients, has been published with much fanfare. Dr. Paul Whelton — one of the SPRINT investigators — is our guest. He warns against setting 120 as a performance measure, observing that roughly half the patients in the […]
June 25th, 2011
Podcast 124: Getting more accuracy into blood pressure measurements
Patients’ systolic pressures vary by about 10%, regardless of whether they are measured at home or under the duress of a visit to the doctor. That variation is troubling when deciding whether to put a patient on an antihypertensive regimen: how reliable are the measurements that will form the basis of your decision? How do […]
December 3rd, 2010
Podcast 110: ARBs (and anti-hypertensives, generally) pose no measurable cancer risk, meta-analysis shows.
This week’s guest, Dr. Sripal Bangalore, finds no evidence that use of the standard anti-hypertensive drugs increases risks for cancer. His meta-analysis did find, however, an indication that ARBs and ACE inhibitors, when used in combination, increase risks modestly. Even with the short follow-up, Bangalore says clinicians should find reassurance in the results. Listen in. Interview-related links: Physician’s […]
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