TUESDAY, Sept. 18, 2018 -- In what is being billed as the largest genetic study ever conducted, British scientists report they have spotted more than 500 genes that play a role in blood pressure.

The research, which involved more than 1 million people, expands the understanding of the genetic factors that determine blood pressure and could lead to new treatments for the condition, according to researchers from Queen Mary University of London and Imperial College London.

FRIDAY, Sept. 7, 2018 -- A sudden, severe surge in blood pressure is known as a hypertensive crisis, and new research suggests that black people are far more likely to experience this potentially deadly condition.

High blood pressure "is an unnecessary scourge on African Americans. The prevalence of hypertensive crisis is five times higher in African Americans than in the general population," said study author Dr. Frederick Waldron. He is an emergency medicine physician from Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in New Jersey.

MONDAY, Sept. 10, 2018 -- Home blood pressure monitoring can improve control of high blood pressure and reduce health care costs.

That's the conclusion of a preliminary study that included 2,550 adults with uncontrolled high blood pressure. They each received free home blood pressure monitors, online and print resources for tracking their blood pressure readings, and reminders to check their blood pressure.