Cocoa products such as dark chocolate and cocoa-containing beverages can lower blood pressure, a recent meta-analysis confirms.

Allopurinol, which is used to lower uric acid levels to counteract gout, may also reduce BP that has been raised by a diet high in fructose, the only common sugar currently known to increase uric acid levels.

In its first Scientific Statement to focus on this issue, the American Heart Association stresses the need for evaluation that spreads a broad net to identify contributing and secondary causes and treatment options that go beyond the usual antihypertensives.

An IV calcium channel blocker to reduce BP from The Medicines Company

A recent report found that office BP has no value in predicting cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality in patients with resistant hypertension. Higher ambulatory measurements, however, are good indicators of these outcomes, according to the same report.

As physicians, we need to remind ourselves that congestive heart failure (CHF) is not a diagnosis but rather a complex of symptoms with one or more of five major causes: myocardial ischemia, valvular heart disease, chronic hypertension, arrhythmias, or cardiomyopathy. Thus, if a patient has symptoms of CHF, the diagnosis would be CHF secondary to one of those five causes.

How soon after starting a patient on an antihypertensive medication should its effects be reviewed and the dosage adjusted?

If you record a high BP in the office, but the patient says it is normal at home, should the dosage of his antihypertensive medication be adjusted? Is 24-hour monitoring of BP useful?

A 90-year-old man with a five-year history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease complains of worsening shortness of breath for the past several months. When he lies down, he feels fine, but when he stands up, he feels unwell. He denies chest pain. His medical history includes...

Since hydrochlorothiazide can increase the risk of attacks in patients with gout, what diuretic is safe and effective for these patients?