Evening star., 1941-02-14
High Blood Pressure
Victims Now May
Be Forewarned
Way Devised to Tell
Those Likely to
Develop Hypertension
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

BY THOMAS r. HENRY.
A means of detecting in early
adult life persons VINO are hyper
tensive ctors"-likely to develop
in later life into high blood pressure
victims-has been devised at George
Washington University Medical
School.
1t also has been found that there
is a strong hereditary factor in
high blood pressure. Among those
examined for whom data could be
obtained, either one grandparent or
one parent had had apprehension in
90 per cent of the positive cases.
In 80 per cent the tendency was
passed on through the female line.
These are the first results of re-
search carried on by DR.. Paul F..
Dickens and DR.. Thelma B. Dunn
of the George Washington staff
under a research fund given the
university last fall by former At
torney General Homer S. Cummings
in memory of his wife, known as the
Cecilia Cummings Memorial fund.
Both findings, revealed at the uni
versity's 9th annual postgraduate
clinic today, are of Importance since
high blood pressure is, directly or
indirectly, the chief cause of death
in the United States today. 1t
claimed 100000 victims in 1910.
Latest estimates are that 3,500,0OO
persons in the United States are
"hypertensives" to some degree.
The test is based on one long
known to physicians. One hand
is placed in ice cold water and the
diastolic blood pressure taken at the
other wrist. If there is marked
rise it shows that the person is
in the hypertensive class.
The only thing to be done about
1t at this stage, DR.. Dickens said,
is to advise slow life, avoidance
of stresses, and extreme care not
to get chilled. The test has been
given most of the medical students.
Those who prove to be hypertensives
are warned that they may have
short lives and sudden deaths unless
they are careful-but If they watch
themselves the high blood pressure
threat may nevir become an actu-
ality.
Once high blood pressure has
started, DR.. Dickens said, 1t can be
kept within normal limits by the
administration of minute amounts
OF the drug potassium thiocyanate
This is an old drug, extremely
poisonous in overdoses. 1t has been
avoided by physicians in the past.
With the coming Of the sulfanila-
mide class of drugs with various
POISONOUS side effec0s =. -c&s been
necessary to devise means of meas
uring their actual concentration in
the blood stream The same tech
nique can be used for thiocynate,
making its administration entirely
safe for a competent physician.
Wide application of these findings,
it was pointed out, might same the
lives of thousands willing to live a
reasonably disciplined life.
Supposedly the hypertensive
maladies constitute the most rapidly
mounting cause of death in the
United States. This Is open to some
question, DR.. Dickens indicated.
First, it is predominantly disease
of middle life, and more people are
living that long. Secondly, it is just
beginning to be detected in the pop
ulation at large.
Formerly IL was supposed that
twice as many women as men suf-
fered from it. This was because
women underwent more frequent
physical examination where it could
be detected.
When a person Is shown to be
hypertensive, DR.. Dickens said, there
is no cause for great alarm. No
body can predict the rapidity of the
process and a person may live to be
80 with an alarmingly high blood
pressure. On the other hand, 1t may
progress with malignant rapidity.
All that can be done, he pointed
out, is first to determine SuScepti-
bility, have frequent examinations
to detect the first appearance of the
actual condition and then admin
lister measured doses of the THO
cyanate.
The postgraduate clinic got under
way this morning with about so
exhibits of research work at the
university and round of the wards
at Gallinger Hospital conducted by
Dean Walter A. Bloedorn. Lecture
session started this afternoon.