Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels are lower in obese patients with left ventricular failure than in their comparably ill, leaner counterparts. The effect of obesity on BNP in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is unknown. We reviewed our prospective PAH registry data collected from November 2001 to December 2007 for patients undergoing right heart catheterization who met t...

In 2005, more than 56 percent of Massachusetts adults were overweight, a 40 percent increase from rates reported in 1990. Overall, nearly 21 percent of Massachusetts adults are obese. Both Blacks and Hispanics in the state are more likely than whites to be both overweight and obese, whereas Asians are the least likely to be overweight or obese. Nationally, rates of overweight and obesity are ev...

Although primary chronic hypertension (HTN) is increasingly common in adolescence, secondary forms of HTN are more common among children. Primary HTN is associated with being overweight and/or a positive family history of HTN. Carotid intima-media thickness, a known risk factor for atherosclerosis is frequent in both adults and children with HTN and other associated cardiovascular (CV) risk fac...