ST. PAUL, MN--(Marketwire - April 20, 2010) - Hypertension Diagnostics, Inc. (
Hypertension affects almost 30% of the U.S. population and is associated with a higher incidence of costly public health problems such as stroke, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and death. The data analyzed was from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), a large study sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) which included over 6,000 women and men of white, African American, Hispanic and Chinese ethnicity, who are being followed over a 10-year period, are between the ages of 45-84 years, and were free of cardiovascular disease signs or symptoms.
The study participants were tested with four diagnostic technologies: (1) coronary computed tomography -- sometimes referred to as a CAT Scan or a Heart Scan -- which uses radioactive x-rays to look for calcium deposits in the coronary arteries, (2) carotid intimate media thickness test -- sometimes referred to as Carotid IMT or carotid ultrasound -- which utilizes high frequency ultrasound waves to image the arteries that supply blood to the brain; (3) magnetic resonance imaging -- sometimes referred to as MRI -- which utilizes a powerful magnetic field to visualize the elasticity of the ascending aorta; and, (4) a non-invasive vascular test using a research model of HDI's CVProfilor® which uses a safe and simple sensor on the radial artery at the wrist to provide an assessment of the elasticity of the small and large arteries throughout the entire body.
When the results from these tests were evaluated relative to the development of hypertension in the study population, HDI's small artery elasticity index was shown to be the earliest predictor of incident hypertension. These findings confirm that measurement of small artery elasticity using HDI's CVProfilor can predict hypertension.
"The results of this large trial are unmistakable and potentially game-changing to the assessment of hypertension," said Greg Guettler, president of HDI. "The data from this publication indicates that the CVProfilor arterial elasticity test can identify patients with hypertension better than and years earlier than more expensive imaging technology that has been considered the standard of care in patients at risk for cardiovascular disease. This study illustrates both the need and the benefit that can be derived from early cardiovascular disease detection."
"Given the recent published concerns about exposure to high doses of radiation from Heart Scans, which may cause cataracts and increase the risk for some forms of cancer, HDI's non-invasive CardioVascular Profiling test does not use radiation," said Mark Schwartz, chairman and CEO. "Because future health care legislation will be focused on eliminating unnecessary and expensive tests in favor of tests with strong predictive value and at a lower cost, HDI's CVProfilor is well positioned to benefit from future health care reform," said Schwartz.
About Hypertension Diagnostics, Inc.
Hypertension Diagnostics, Inc. ("HDI") manufactures and markets medical devices for early detection and management of cardiovascular disease in the U.S. and in 37 countries. Its main product, the CVProfilor® DO-2020 CardioVascular Profiling System, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and is being marketed to primary care physicians in the U.S. HDI's CardioVascular Profiling Systems non-invasively measure both large and small artery elasticity. Small artery elasticity has been shown to be predictive of cardiovascular disease. Several large pharmaceutical manufacturers have used HDI's CardioVascular Profiling Systems in their multi-site clinical research trials. There are over 300 published, peer-reviewed scientific articles and presentations on HDI's methodology, which provides evidence on the validity, accuracy and reproducibility of HDI's CardioVascular Profiling technology. The technology was developed at the University of Minnesota by a team led by world-renown cardiologist, Dr. Jay N. Cohn.
Forward-looking statements in this press release are made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company wishes to caution readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements and to recognize that the statements are not a prediction of actual future results. Actual results could differ materially from those presented and anticipated in the forward-looking statements due to the risks and uncertainties set forth in the Company's 2009 Annual Report on Form 10-K, and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, all of which were filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as others not now anticipated.
CVProfilor is a registered trademark of Hypertension Diagnostics, Inc.
Hypertension Diagnostics, HDI/PulseWave, PulseWave and CVProfile are trademarks of
Hypertension Diagnostics, Inc. All rights reserved.
Website: www.hdii.com
Contact Information:
Contact: Mark N. Schwartz, CEO
(651) 687-9999