High blood pressure affects 65 million Americans. Another 59 million Americans have prehypertension, which increases their chances of developing cardiovascular disease. People over 55 have a 90 percent chance of developing high blood pressure in their lifetime. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for 3 of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States: heart disease (#1), stroke (#3), and kidney disease (#9) (source: National Center for Health Statistics). As the United States population becomes older—and increasingly overweight and obese—high blood pressure will become an even bigger problem. Hypertension imposes an especially heavy burden on the health of African Americans. Hypertension can be prevented by lifestyle modification, including weight loss and salt reduction, but the achievement of these goals in primary care has been disappointing. At Johns Hopkins, GIM faculty are engaged in the investigation and treatment of hypertension across the full range of its natural history. Information about the faculty working in this research area and their projects is provided below.
Lawrence Appel, MD, MPH
Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, and International Health; Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests: Trials of primary and secondary prevention; blood pressure and kidney disease
To see publication abstracts (PUBMED) click here.
Frederick Brancati, MD, MHS
Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology; Director, Division of GIM; Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests: High blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes
To see publication abstracts (PUBMED), click here.
Lisa Cooper, MD, MPH
Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Health Behavior and Society; Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clincal Research
Research Interests: Hypertension; health disparities; physician-patient relationship and communication
To see publication abstracts (PUBMED) click here.
Michael Klag, MD, MPH
Professor of Epidemiology, Health Policy and Management, and Medicine; Dean, Johns Hopkins Bloomburg School of Public Health
Research Interests: High blood pressure as a risk factor for CKD and ESRD
To see publication abstracts (PUBMED) click here.
Edgar (Pete) Miller, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology; Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests: Trials of lifestyle change to reduce blood pressure
To see publication abstracts (PUBMED) click here.
J. Hunter Young, MD, MHS
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology; Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests: Genetic epidemiology; novel risk factors for CVD, hypertension, and insulin resistance
To see publication abstracts (PUBMED) click here.
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