Reuters Health Information (2003-12-10): Hypertension may be inflammatory disease-study

A study of more than 20,000 women provides evidence that high blood pressure in part may be an inflammatory disease, a finding that could provide new avenues for treatment, researchers said on Tuesday.

The report from Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital said the conclusion was based on a blood protein that is a marker for inflammation and that appears to be a predictor of high blood pressure.

"We already know that (the protein) is a stronger predictor of heart attack risk than cholesterol," said Paul Ridker, another author.