FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information: Bob Schwadron, 212-468-3616, [email protected]
RELATIONSHIP OF HYPERTENSION DRUGS AND CANCER TO BE COVERED AT
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HYPERTENSION SCIENTIFIC MEETING
Scientific Debate on Treatment Guidelines, Drug Approval Process and Salt in the Diet Also Will Receive Attention At Annual Meeting
NEW YORK, NY - New discoveries of good and bad relationships between drugs that treat high blood pressure and cancer, salt and high blood pressure, the Food and Drug Administration's drug approval process and the latest treatment guidelines for hypertension are among the top issues to be discussed at the American Society of Hypertension's upcoming Fourteenth Annual Scientific Meeting.
The meeting, which will highlight new public health, medical and research findings on the nation's most common cardiovascular health problem, takes place May 19-22 at the Marriott Marquis, New York City. More than 4,200 health professionals attended last year's event.
The American Society of Hypertension (ASH) is the largest US organization devoted exclusively to hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. The organization is committed to alerting physicians, allied health professionals and the public about new medical options, facts, research findings and treatment choices designed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Medical experts will present data on two commonly prescribed classes of hypertension-lowering drugs - diuretics and calcium channel blockers - and their possible link to cancer. Other experts will continue the debate over the role of dietary salt in cardiovascular disease.
The FDA drug approval process for new hypertension agents will come under scrutiny from the regulatory and public health perspective as experts debate whether this process assures drug efficacy and safety, while bringing new treatments to prescribers and patients in a timely way.
A related prescribing and health economics question in the spotlight at this year's ASH meeting is whether newer hypertension drug classes should be used for initial treatment or should diuretics remain the first drug treatment option.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a silent killer that accounts for more patient visits to physicians other than the common cold. Nearly 50 million Americans have high blood pressure which can prematurely age the body's arteries and lead to strokes, heart attacks and kidney failure, often without warning.
Treatment programs directed at inner city minorities is another public health question that will receive in depth attention at the meeting.
""Treatment of high blood pressure patients in our cities and less affluent suburbs is often hampered by socio-economic conditions,"" says Michael Weber, MD, president of ASH. ""We are honored that the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has chosen our meeting as the forum for a substantial discussion of model hypertension care programs aimed at undetected groups in four cities.
""The symposium will highlight the effectiveness of different approaches that are being used to detect and control hypertension in these high risk groups.""
The NHLBI-sponsored symposium will be held Wednesday, May 19, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and will cover hypertension control programs in Los Angeles, Houston, Baltimore, Seattle, Milwaukee and Chicago.
On a related subject, the ASH meeting will also include a joint symposium with the International Society on Hypertension in Blacks covering ""Racial/Ethnic Diversity and Hypertension Risk: A Global Perspective"" and an ""Update on Control Rates and the Influence of the Doctor-Patient Interaction.""
Another session will look at new risk factors in cardiovascular disease, including pulse pressure and the role of increased serum uric acid.
The impact of genetics on hypertension and the potential role of genomics in its treatment will be the topic of special ASH lectures.
In addition, the names of the first ASH Specialists in Clinical Hypertension will be announced at the meeting. The specialists are physicians who have been identified as experts in the management of hypertension and function as consultants to patients and groups, in addition to providing individual care.
Founded in 1985 by 17 leading physicians involved in the study of hypertension, the American Society of Hypertension has become a worldwide forum with more than 3,000 members. Approximately 90 percent of the members are physicians and scientists who hold MD or Ph.D., degrees or both. Other members include physicians in training, nurses and physician assistants.
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MEDIA NOTE: The ASH News Room is located in the Kern and Sullivan Rooms, fourth floor, Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway, New York City. The News Room will be open from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 19 through Friday, May 21 and from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 22.
Please register in the ASH News Room to receive your complimentary media badge.
Daily press briefings on the meeting's major presentations will be held in the ASH News Room. Check the posted schedule in the News Room. Work space and interview areas will be available.
CONTACT: [email protected]
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