Wednesday May 30, 3:18 pm Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: Hypertension Diagnostics, Inc.
Proven Technology Effectively Screens for a Major Indicator of Cardiovascular Disease
The National Cholesterol Education Program Suggests More People at Risk For Heart Disease; Guidelines Call for Testing to Begin in Early 20s
ST. PAUL, Minn., May 30 /PRNewswire/ -- According to new guidelines recently published by the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), a significantly greater number of people than initially estimated are at risk for cardiovascular disease due to high total cholesterol levels. The new guidelines call for broader screening and more aggressive treatment of these at-risk individuals.
Hypertension Diagnostics, Inc. (HDI) is currently introducing a recently FDA-cleared breakthrough medical device for the early detection of cardiovascular disease risk. The HDI device, the CVProfilor(TM) System, measures arterial compliance (how stiff or elastic a person's arteries are). Premature stiffening (or loss of elasticity) of the arteries has been shown to be related to both high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Jay N. Cohn, Chairman of HDI's Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board, said, ``High cholesterol levels have been shown to aggravate blood vessel abnormalities that result in the loss of arterial elasticity. This loss of elasticity can now be measured and tracked using a simple non-invasive test in the physician's office with HDI's new CVProfilor(TM) device.'' Dr. Cohn, Professor of Medicine and formerly Head of the University of Minnesota Medical School's Cardiovascular Division from 1974 through 1996, is author of more than 500 scientific and clinical articles and is a member of HDI's Board of Directors. ``Despite the seriousness of the warning issued by the NCEP, the good news is that there is a proven, FDA-cleared medical device that effectively, yet non-invasively, screens people as young as ten years old for a major indicator of cardiovascular disease -- the premature loss of arterial elasticity. This is a very important first step in disease assessment and management,'' said Dr. Cohn.
Greg H. Guettler, President of Hypertension Diagnostics, said, ``New guidelines, such as those issued by the NCEP, are serving to significantly increase public awareness regarding the serious risk of allowing cardiovascular disease to go undetected. This growing awareness, together with the aging of the American population, directly supports our expectation that HDI's CVProfilor(TM) offers physicians an innovative and unique device with which to predict and manage cardiovascular disease in their patients. Treatment of high cholesterol typically includes dietary changes, exercise and medication, with substantial health and financial consequences. Thus, early detection is critical since treatments that can restore blood vessels to a more normal elastic and flexible state may be an important component in controlling the progression of this disease,'' Guettler said.
Minneapolis-based Hypertension Diagnostics, Inc. has commercially launched this proprietary technology in its new CVProfilor(TM) DO-2020 CardioVascular Profiling System. The CVProfilor(TM) System measures blood pressure values, calculates pulse pressure, body surface area (BSA) and body mass index (BMI), and provides indications of arterial elasticity in both the large and small artery elasticity indices. The system is non-invasive, user-friendly, designed for use in physician offices and clinics, and involves no specific medical risk to the patient. A small sensor attached to the wrist measures blood pressure waveforms produced by the beating heart to determine elasticity and stiffness of blood vessels.
About Hypertension Diagnostics
Hypertension Diagnostics, Inc., (Nasdaq: HDII; HDIIW; HDIIU; HDIIZ), designs, develops, manufactures and markets proprietary cardiovascular profiling systems for clinical and research applications. These systems carry the Underwriters Labs label and the CE Mark of quality, and they are marketed to physicians, other health care professionals and researchers by a direct sales force and via distributors throughout the world. In addition to providing blood pressure values, the systems non-invasively detect subtle changes in the compliance or elasticity of both large and small arteries which is a unique feature of HDI's blood pressure waveform analysis technology. The system includes a custom designed Arterial PulseWave(TM) Sensor to capture waveform data, as well as a printer which generates a CVProfile(TM) Report which can assist physicians in their clinical work.
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 2000 Annual Report on Form 10-KSB, as amended, under the caption ``Risk Factors,'' as well as others not now anticipated.
Hypertension Diagnostics, HDI/PulseWave, CVProfilor, PulseWave and CVProfile are trademarks of Hypertension Diagnostics, Inc. All rights reserved.
Website: hdi-pulsewave.com
SOURCE: Hypertension Diagnostics, Inc.
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