NHLBI In the News: Hypertension risk, heart disease trigger, and living with sickle cell disease

October 2, 2014: Brown University News
Hypertension risk rises closer to major roadways 
David Orenstein

A new study in the Journal of the American Heart Association reports a significant association between living near a major roadway and the risk of high blood pressure. The Brown University-led analysis used data from NHLBI's Women's Health Initiative and assessed 5,400 post-menopausal women in the San Diego metropolitan area. Researchers found that women who lived within 100 meters of a highway or major arterial road had a 22-percent greater risk of hypertension than women who lived at least 1,000 meters away. In a range of intermediate distances, hypertension risk rose with proximity to the roadways.

October 1, 2014: HealthDay News
Genes May Make Some More Prone to Heart Disease When Under Stress
Robert Preidt

Genes may interact with stress to trigger heart disease in some people, a new study suggests. The genetic risk occurs in about 13 percent of people, but only in those who are white. The finding could help these people reduce their heart disease risk through simple measures such as exercise, a healthy diet and stress management, the Duke University researchers said. This research was funded in part by the NHLBI.

September 25, 2014: CTSI Discovery Radio
CTSI Discover Radio:Living with Sickle Cell Disease

Each day, more than 100,000 people suffer from a chronic, genetic blood disease that causes debilitating pain. This episode of CTSI Discovery Radio discusses new ways people living with Sickle Cell Disease are finding some relief right through new clinical trials, a medical home for Sickle Cell patients, and new guidelines to help lower the risk of the disease causing a crisis in patients it affects. This segment features NHLBI's Dr. Keith Hoots.