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P K Murphy

Publications and source records attributed to P K Murphy.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

The persistent problem of poor blood pressure control.

Despite improvements in the control of hypertension in the United States, there is evidence that considerable numbers of people still have uncontrolled high blood pressure (BP). Because mortality and morbidity are reduced in proportion to BP reduction, it is important to identify the major causes of failure to control hypertension. This article summarizes the results of various studies of BP control: population surveys, assessments of usual practice, worksite programs, large-scale special projects, and quality assurance programs. The evidence suggests that patient characteristics and behaviors explain much of the poor BP control in patients under care. The most important of these patient factors is compliance. However, other factors associated with poor BP control are excessive alcohol intake, life stress, lower income, younger age, black race, male sex, and unmarried state. In evaluating BP control, the clinician and researcher must also be aware of various measurement effects that may lead to erroneously high BP readings.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Physiological tests during an improvement in riboflavin status in lactating Gambian women.

During several weeks riboflavin supplementation of lactating African women, which reduced their mean activation coefficient of erythrocyte glutathione reductase (EGRAC) from 1.65 to 1.21 and initiated an improvement in clinical deficiency signs, measurements were made of physiological functions which may be connected with riboflavin status. No specific response to the supplement could be detected in body weight, grip strength, haematological parameters, osmotic fragility and resistance to oxidative stress of erythrocytes, plasma iron levels and related indices, or plasma hormone levels. There was a cross-sectional relationship between erythrocyte distribution on Percoll density gradients and EGRAC before supplementation, and between the Percoll pattern and total haemoglobin concentration. It is not yet known, however, whether a direct causal relationship exists between these variables.

Adult↗