PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 31-Aug-2014 Contact: ESC Press Office press@escardio.org 34-670-521-210 European Society of Cardiology Barcelona, Spain Sunday 31 August 2014: Resistant hypertension increases the risk of stroke by 35% in women and 20% in elderly Taiwanese patients, according to research presented at ESC Congress today by Dr Kuo-Yang Wang from Taiwan. The findings suggest that gender and age should be added to the risk stratification of resistant hypertension to enable more appropriate treatment decisions. Dr Wang said: "Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Patients with hypertension that does not respond to conventional drug treatments, called resistant hypertension, are at even higher risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality." He continued: "Little is known about the prognosis of resistant hypertension in the Asian population. Our study compared the risk of all-cause mortality, acute coronary syndrome, and stroke between patients with resistant hypertension and non-resistant hypertension. We aimed to discover the impact of resistant hypertension on Taiwanese patients, and to ascertain whether patient characteristics influence the association between resistant hypertension and adverse outcomes." Patients with hypertension aged 45 years and older were identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database. Medical records of 111,986 patients from 2000 … Continue reading →

- In some cases, high bleeding risk keeps physicians from treating NVAF patients to reduce the risk of stroke with oral anticoagulant therapy(1) - Survey explored unmet needs in the management of NVAF, with many cardiologists believing that coordinated care among healthcare professionals is important to the management of NVAF, but is currently inadequate in their respective countries(1)and that there is an opportunity for caregivers to play a more prominent role(1)in helping patients manage NVAF - Global survey sponsored by Daiichi Sankyo in partnership with the Heart Rhythm Society BARCELONA, Spain, Aug. 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Daiichi Sankyo and the Heart Rhythm Society today announced results from a global survey, which polled cardiologists from around the world and revealed that a majority (58%) of cardiologists agree that there is no such thing as a "typical" non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patient.(1) Additionally, 88% of cardiologists agree that NVAF patients are diverse, and therefore it is important to focus on individual co-morbidities and patient characteristics to provide appropriate disease management.(1) On average, according to the survey, NVAF patients have about three co-morbid conditions.(1) The global survey, conducted online by Harris Poll in July and August 2014 on behalf of the Heart Rhythm … Continue reading →

New child cancer specialist for Auckland Paediatric oncologist, Dr Andrew Wood has returned to the University of Auckland to research the genetic mistakes driving childhood leukaemias. Dr Wood graduated from the University of Aucklands School of Medicine, and trained as a paediatrician at Starship Childrens Hospital before going to the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia as a Fulbright Scholar. His research programme will study and model the genetic mistakes driving childhood leukaemias with the ultimate goal of finding Achilles heels that can be exploited to treat leukaemia in new ways. After seven years at the United States number one ranked childrens hospital, the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), he returned to New Zealand for family and friends and because there was a small but committed and capable team doing exciting work that he wanted to be part of. Dr Wood specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of cancers in children and adolescents. Alongside treating patients at Starship Childrens Hospital he will lead a research team and collaborate internationally with the aim of making childhood cancer a stumbling block, not a road block. He hopes his research will contribute to the long-term aim of improving survival rates for Kiwi kids with cancer … Continue reading →