Join the 'Atacand' group to help and get support from people like you. How it works
Atacand Blog
| Tweet |
U.S. Task Force Issues Blood Pressure Guidelines
Posted 12 days ago by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, May 15 – "Team-based care" should be used to improve patients' blood pressure control, the U.S. Task Force on Community Preventive Services recommended on Tuesday. The recommendation is based on a review of 77 studies that showed improvements in patients' control of blood pressure when they received care from a team of health professionals – a primary care doctor supported by a pharmacist, nurse, dietitian, social worker, or community health worker – rather than a primary care doctor alone. The task force found that team-based care increased the percentage of patients with controlled blood pressure, led to a decrease in both systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure, and improved results in patients with diabetes and elevated levels of blood fats. Team members assist primary care doctors by providing support and sharing responsibility for high blood ... Read more
Related support groups: High Blood Pressure, Lisinopril, Hypertension, Metoprolol, Atenolol, Benicar, Diovan, Amlodipine, Propranolol, Bystolic, Norvasc, Losartan, Verapamil, Diltiazem, Micardis
New Guidelines Issued for Severe Lupus
Posted 3 May 2012 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, May 3 – When diagnosed with lupus, one in three people already has kidney inflammation, and during the first 10 years with the disease as many as 60 percent of patients will have some kidney problems. Because kidney inflammation (also called lupus nephritis) is so common in people with lupus, the American College of Rheumatology has issued new guidelines for the screening and management of this potentially devastating complication of lupus. "Without treatment, lupus nephritis can lead to end-stage-renal disease, which requires dialysis or a kidney transplant. But, not all types are this serious. It depends on the pattern of damage to the kidneys," said the lead author of the new guidelines, Dr. Bevra Hahn, a professor of medicine and chief of rheumatology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. Hahn said the course of lupus ... Read more
Related support groups: Lisinopril, Prednisone, Benicar, Diovan, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Losartan, Prednisolone, Plaquenil, Methylprednisolone, Micardis, Cozaar, Hydrocortisone, Cortisone, Medrol, CellCept
Treating Prehypertension Lowers Stroke Risk: Study
Posted 8 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Dec. 8 – A new study found that the risk of stroke dropped about 22 percent in people with prehypertension who took drugs that lower blood pressure. These people didn't yet have high blood pressure, but they still benefited from taking the medications, although there was no significant reduction in the rate of heart attacks for people taking antihypertensives. "We know that blood pressure and stroke are closely related, and high blood pressure is an extremely high risk factor for stroke. If we could reduce blood pressure, we thought we could reduce the risk of stroke," said lead researcher Dr. Ilke Sipahi, an assistant professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University's Harrington-McLaughlin Heart and Vascular Institute and University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. "We found a highly statistically significant 22 percent risk reduction in stroke with any ... Read more
Related support groups: High Blood Pressure, Lisinopril, Hypertension, Metoprolol, Atenolol, Diovan, Benicar, Bystolic, Propranolol, Losartan, Micardis, Cozaar, Carvedilol, Coreg, Inderal
Taking Blood Pressure Meds at Bedtime May Be Better
Posted 24 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Oct. 24 – For the millions of Americans on blood pressure-lowering drugs, a new study suggests that taking the pills at bedtime may be best. It was known that taking blood pressure medications at different times of the day can affect patients' blood pressure patterns, but the impact on health wasn't known. The new Spanish study included 661 patients with chronic kidney disease and hypertension. Half of them took their prescribed blood pressure-lowering drugs at bedtime and half took their medications first thing in the morning. After an average follow-up of 5.4 years, the researchers found that patients who took at least one blood pressure-lowering drug at bedtime had better control of their blood pressure and were about one-third as likely to suffer a heart-related event such as heart attack, heart failure or stroke. The team at the University of Vigo also found that ... Read more
Related support groups: High Blood Pressure, Lisinopril, Hypertension, Diovan, Benicar, Losartan, Micardis, Cozaar, Enalapril, Avapro, Benazepril, Ramipril, Atacand, Tekturna, Valsartan
Heart Failure Care Influenced by Insurance Coverage
Posted 19 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Sept. 19 – The quality of care people with heart failure receive, along with outcomes, are significantly influenced by what type of insurance patients have, a new study finds. Medicare and Medicaid patients and those without health insurance are less likely to be given some essential treatments and tend to be hospitalized longer, researchers report. Medicaid patients were 22 percent more likely to die in the hospital than patients with private insurance, the researchers said. "I wish the results revealed a different story," said lead researcher Dr. John R. Kapoor, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. The findings reveal that disparities in heart failure care do exist and are associated with worse outcomes, he added, and these unequal practices should be corrected. "It remains medicine's major unhealed wound that care ... Read more
Related support groups: Lisinopril, Diovan, Benicar, Losartan, Micardis, Cozaar, Enalapril, Avapro, Benazepril, Ramipril, Atacand, Valsartan, Telmisartan, Olmesartan, Perindopril
Accidental Medication Poisonings in Kids on the Rise
Posted 16 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Sept. 16 – Despite ongoing prevention efforts, a growing number of young children are being accidentally poisoned with medications, according to new research. The study, which was based on data reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers between 2001 and 2008, found that medication poisoning among children aged 5 and under increased by 22 percent, although the number of children in the United States in this age group rose by only 8 percent during the study period. "The problem of pediatric poisoning in the U.S. is getting worse, not better," Dr. Randall Bond, of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, said in a hospital news release. In conducting the study, which is scheduled for publication in the Journal of Pediatrics, the researchers reviewed information on over 544,000 children who landed in the emergency department due to medication poisoning ... Read more
Related support groups: Suboxone, Xanax, Methadone, Oxycodone, Percocet, OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Vicodin, Morphine, Norco, Fentanyl, Klonopin, Lortab, Lisinopril, Subutex
FDA Medwatch Alert: Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs): Drug Safety Communication - Drug Safety Review Completed
Posted 4 Jun 2011 by Drugs.com
[UPDATED 06/02/2011] FDA’s meta-analysis of 31 randomized controlled trials comparing ARBs to other treatment found no evidence of an increased risk of incident (new) cancer, cancer-related death, breast cancer, lung cancer, or prostate cancer in patients receiving ARBs. [Posted 07/15/2010] ISSUE: A recently published study - a meta-analysis combining cancer-related findings from several clinical trials - suggested use of ARBs may be associated with a small increased risk of cancer. BACKGROUND: ARBs are used in patients with high blood pressure and other conditions. Brand names include Atacand, Avapro, Benicar, Cozaar, Diovan, Micardis, and Teveten. The meta-analysis included data from over 60,000 patients in several long-term, randomized, controlled clinical trials evaluating ARBs for which adverse events related to cancer were captured during the study. The mean duration of fo ... Read more
Related support groups: Diovan, Benicar, Losartan, Micardis, Cozaar, Azor, Avapro, Diovan HCT, Benicar HCT, Hyzaar, Exforge, Atacand, Avalide, Valsartan, Telmisartan
Popular Blood Pressure Meds Not Linked to Cancer, FDA Says
Posted 2 Jun 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, June 2 – A class of drugs widely used to treat high blood pressure doesn't boost the risk of cancer, as a recent analysis suggested, U.S. health authorities announced Thursday. The drugs are known as angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) and include medicines such as telmisartan (Micardis), losartan (Cozaar), valsartan (Diovan) and candesartan (Atacand). The determination comes from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which just concluded a safety review of the drugs. "It is comforting to have this data to support what we clinically felt was true," said Dr. Joseph Diamond, director of nuclear cardiology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, NY. FDA undertook the review after a meta-analysis appearing in July 2010 in The Lancet found a "modestly increased risk" – about 10 percent – of cancer diagnoses among people taking ARBs, and a smaller increased ... Read more
Related support groups: Hypertension, Benicar, Diovan, Losartan, Micardis, Cozaar, Avapro, Atacand, Valsartan, Telmisartan, Olmesartan, Irbesartan, Edarbi, Candesartan, Teveten
Two Different Heart Drugs May Work Equally Well for High-Risk Patients
Posted 6 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, April 5 – People with high blood pressure and impaired glucose tolerance seem to fare equally well when given two separate types of heart drugs, new research suggests. Although an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) and a calcium channel blocker were both effective in this patient population, one difference did emerge, according to a presentation given Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology in New Orleans: People taking Diovan (valsartan), an ARB, had a lower incidence of being hospitalized for congestive heart failure. "We could not find any differences between the two groups in terms of blood pressure control and hemoglobin A1c levels, and we couldn't find any difference in the primary composite endpoint between the two groups," said study author Dr. Toyoaki Murohara, a professor of cardiology at Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine in ... Read more
Related support groups: Benicar, Diovan, Amlodipine, Norvasc, Losartan, Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Verapamil, Diltiazem, Micardis, Cozaar, Cardizem, Nifedipine, Avapro, Atacand
Risks May Outweigh Benefits for Blood Pressure Drug Combo
Posted 22 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, March 22 – Many older people struggling with high blood pressure are being inappropriately and unnecessarily prescribed a combination blood pressure medications, a team of Canadian researchers warns. And, they caution, the often unwarranted dual protocol can have serious consequences: an increased risk for kidney failure and even death. The two types of drugs in question are angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). On their own, each is well established and highly effective for controlling blood pressure, the study team stressed. Also, a small number of people – those diagnosed with a particular blood pressure issue related to improper left ventricular systolic function – may derive some added benefit from taking the two medications concurrently, they say. But most seniors do not need both drugs, the researchers contend, ... Read more
Related support groups: Lisinopril, Diovan, Benicar, Losartan, Micardis, Cozaar, Enalapril, Avapro, Benazepril, Ramipril, Atacand, Valsartan, Telmisartan, Olmesartan, Perindopril
Not All Heart Failure Drugs Boost Survival Equally
Posted 11 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Jan. 11 – Over the course of five years, heart failure patients taking the blood pressure drug candesartan stood a higher chance of survival than those taking losartan did, Swedish researchers report. In fact, 61 percent of those taking candesartan (Atacand) survived, compared with 44 percent of those taking losartan (Cozaar); this difference may be due to differences in the way the drugs work, the study authors noted. "Heart failure is among our most common causes of death and hospitalization," said lead researcher Dr. Lars H. Lund, an associate professor in the department of cardiology at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm. Both drugs belong to an important group of medications known as angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) that decrease mortality and hospitalization in heart failure patients, he added. However, the efficacy of different drugs in this class ... Read more
Related support groups: Congestive Heart Failure, Heart Failure, Atacand, Candesartan, Atacand HCT, Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide
Blood Pressure Pills Could Raise Cancer Risk
Posted 14 Jun 2010 by Drugs.com
From Associated Press (June 13, 2010) LONDON – Some of the world's most popular blood pressure pills may slightly increase your risk of getting cancer, but doctors say it's too soon to ditch the drugs, according to new research. In an analysis of five previous studies following about 60,000 patients, experts found a link between people taking medicines known as angiotensin-receptor blockers, or ARBs, and cancer. The drugs are taken by millions of people worldwide for conditions like high blood pressure, heart problems and diabetic kidney disease. In the analysis, researchers found that people who took the drugs had about a 1 percent higher risk of getting cancer than people who weren't on the drugs. This included a whole range of cancers – prostate, breast and a noticable spike in lung cancer. About 85 percent of those people were on telmisartan, sold as Micardis, made by Boehringer ... Read more
Related support groups: Benicar, Diovan, Losartan, Micardis, Cozaar, Avapro, Atacand, Valsartan, Telmisartan, Olmesartan, Irbesartan, Candesartan, Teveten, Eprosartan
Popular Blood Pressure Drugs Tied to Slight Rise in Cancer Risk
Posted 14 Jun 2010 by Drugs.com
SUNDAY, June 13 – Use of a popular class of drugs for high blood pressure and heart failure is associated with a slight boost in cancer risk, a new review of data finds. The drugs are known as angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) and include medicines such as telmisartan (Micardis), losartan (Cozaar, Hyzaar), valsartan (Diovan) and candesartan (Atacand). Overall, the researchers looked at trials involving over 223,000 patients. When they concentrated on five trials involving over 60,000 patients, in which cancer was a pre-specified endpoint, "patients assigned to these ARBs had about a 10 percent increase in cancer" relative to those not on the medications, said Dr. Ilke Sipahi, assistant professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University, lead author of a report in the June 14 online edition of The Lancet Oncology. The incidence of cancer in people taking an ARB was 7.2 percent, ... Read more
Related support groups: Benicar, Diovan, Losartan, Micardis, Cozaar, Avapro, Atacand, Valsartan, Telmisartan, Olmesartan, Irbesartan, Candesartan, Teveten, Eprosartan
Blood Pressure Drugs May Help Ward Off Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia
Posted 15 Jan 2010 by Drugs.com
LONDON, Jan. 14, 2010 - Angiotensin receptor blockers, drugs that are commonly used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease, are associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, according to research published on bmj.com today. The study also concludes that angiotensin receptor blockers seem to offer greater protection against Alzheimer's disease and dementia than other high blood pressure and heart disease medication. Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, threatens an increasing number of people as they get older. It also has major economic implications as individuals who suffer from either disease can spend long periods of time in nursing homes. While dementia and Alzheimer's disease are complex diseases, there is increasing evidence of three main risk factors: age, genetics and heart disease. In particular, mid-life diseases like diabetes and high blood ... Read more
Related support groups: Benicar, Diovan, Losartan, Micardis, Cozaar, Avapro, Atacand, Valsartan, Telmisartan, Olmesartan, Irbesartan, Candesartan, Teveten, Eprosartan
Some Blood Pressure Drugs May Stave Off Dementia
Posted 12 Jan 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Jan. 12 – Blood pressure drugs that block the protein angiotensin appear to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, a new study finds. "We think it [angiotensin] is one of the most important factors determining healthy blood vessels and also acts in the brain to help neurons to be a little more resilient," said Dr. Benjamin Wolozin, a professor of pharmacology and neurology at Boston University and senior author of a report on the findings, published online Jan. 13 in BMJ. That report describes a study of more than 819,000 U.S. veterans, nearly all men, that found that those taking blood pressure medications that block cell receptors for angiotensin had a lower risk for dementia than those taking other cardiovascular medicines. A similar but smaller protective effect was found for a related drug, lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril), which ... Read more
Related support groups: Lisinopril, Diovan, Benicar, Losartan, Dementia, Micardis, Cozaar, Avapro, Enalapril, Benazepril, Ramipril, Atacand, Valsartan, Telmisartan, Perindopril
Ask a Question
Further Information
Related Condition Support Groups
High Blood Pressure, Hypertension, Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure