Guest guest Posted August 5, 2002 Report Share Posted August 5, 2002 Something here for us all I think Marianne Daily News from Healthypages Monday, August 05, 2002 _______________________________ GPs may cause a patient's blood pressure to rise Thousands of healthy people may be mistakenly taking medication for high blood pressure conditions they do not have, a UK study suggests. Researchers at Southampton University found that patients’ blood pressure often rises when a doctor is taking the reading. The phenomenon is called the “white coat effectâ€, where some people feel so stressed by being with a doctor that it causes their blood pressure to rise. The team says the findings suggest that GPs should not make decisions about treating patients with hypertension based on the blood pressure readings they have taken. Instead, home measurements by the patient or repeated measurements by a nurse would be more accurate. The study, published in the British Medical Journal, compared blood pressure readings taken by nurses, doctors, home measurements taken by patients and ambulatory monitoring, which uses a device to continuously measure blood pressure throughout the day. Eight doctors and three practice nurses participated in the research. The 200 patients involved had either been newly diagnosed with high blood pressure or were already receiving treatment for the condition. They were all being considered for treatment changes based on clinical readings. Researchers found that readings made by doctors were higher than those taken by nurses or by the patients themselves at home. Overall, the home measurement system performed significantly better than all other methods and was also preferred by patients. The team writes, “The ‘white coat effect’ is important in diagnosing and assessing control of hypertension in primary care. “If ambulatory or home measurements are not available, repeated measurements by a nurse or the patient should result in considerably less unnecessary monitoring, initiation and changing of treatment. It is time to stop using high blood pressure readings by general practitioners to make decisions about treatment.†© Health Media Ltd 2002 ******************************* Other stories Parents call for vaccine to protect against meningitis The majority of parents in the UK would like to see the pneumococcal vaccine added to the list of diseases that children are currently immunised against, new research reveals. Full story: http://www.healthypages.net/elist/redirect.asp?i=18520 & l=4404 Regulators reject “designer baby†plea The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has rejected a couple’ s request to try for a “designer baby†who would be a donor for their three-year-old son. Full story: http://www.healthypages.net/elist/redirect.asp?i=18520 & l=4405 Concern over low-carb, high-protein diets People who are trying to lose weight by following low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets could be putting themselves at higher risk of kidney stones and bone loss, according to the results of a US study. Full story: http://www.healthypages.net/elist/redirect.asp?i=18520 & l=4406 Commercial funding “affects trial results†Clinical trials funded by pharmaceutical companies are more likely than those funded by non-profit organisations to favour the drug being tested, say researchers. Full story: http://www.healthypages.net/elist/redirect.asp?i=18520 & l=4407 Drug link to dramatic rise in alcohol-related liver deaths The rise in cases of hepatitis C due to the heroin “epidemic†of 30 years ago could explain the increasing numbers of men who are dying from alcohol-related liver disease. Full story: http://www.healthypages.net/elist/redirect.asp?i=18520 & l=4408 Cause of “stuttering†discovered A structural abnormality in the brain’s left hemisphere causes the speech impediment stuttering, or stammering as it is known in the UK, say researchers from Germany. Full story: http://www.healthypages.net/elist/redirect.asp?i=18520 & l=4409 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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