A research group led by Associate Professor Junichiro Hashimoto and Professor Sadayoshi Ito at Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine has elucidated the mechanism of renal damage caused by hypertension and aortic stiffening. Hypertension is a risk factor for chronic kidney diseases, and its early sign is the excretion of a slight amount of albumin (a kind of protein) in the urine. In this study, the research group has estimated aortic pressure deep in the body (central blood pressure) by recording the waveform of pressure from the surface of the wrist, and has discovered that increased central pulse pressure caused the increase of albumin in the urine. In contrast to well-known blood pressure recorded from the upper arm, central blood pressure is drawing attention from all over the world as the index of pressure for the new era. This result will be published in Hypertension in the November 2011 issue. The paper's title is "Central pulse pressure and aortic stiffness determine renal hemodynamics: Pathophysiological implication for microalbuminuria in hypertension."

More information (Japanese)

[Contact]

(About the research)

Associate Professor Junichiro Hashimoto

Department of Blood Pressure Research

Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine

TEL: +81-22-717-7163

E-mail: hashimoto*med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

(Public Relations)

Associate professor Fuji Nagami

Public Relations Office of Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine

Tel: +81-22-717-7908 Fax: +81-22-717-8187

E-mail: f-nagami*med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)