Thursday, August 28, 2008

Drug May Lower Blood Pressure in Adolescents With Hypertension

I've never heard of anyone trying to lower uric acid levels to control hypertension before this article. I find this to be a fascinating new approach. This reminds me of the then-radical theory that ulcers can be caused by bacteria and can be treated with antibiotics - a totally new approach. Credit to Corey Nahman for finding this one.

From the Washington Post:
The drug allopurinol -- a drug used to lower uric acid levels -- may lower blood pressure in adolescents with high blood pressure, a new study shows.

Because high blood pressure is commonly associated with high uric acid levels, some studies suggest that elevated uric acid may be one cause of high blood pressure. But since elevated uric acid levels in high blood pressure could be the result of several factors, high uric acid levels are not currently considered a true risk factor for hypertension.

The current study, published in the Aug. 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, tested whether treatment with allopurinol would reduce blood pressure in 30 11- to 17-year-olds who had high uric acid levels and newly diagnosed high blood pressure. ...more

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