The Curbsiders Internal Medicine Podcast · The Curbsiders Internal Medicine Podcast

#509 Fresh Hypertension Guidelines. West Philadelphia Doc Jordy Cohen Keeps Our Hypertension Management Fresh

·1 hr 17 min·2 clips

Every 20 mmHg systolic elevation doubles your cardiac risk—hypertension impacts heart, brain, and kidney disease

The episode begins in the familiar Curbsiders style, with a Patreon reminder, a joke, and some light housekeeping. The tone stays loose before the medicine turns serious. Jeremy joins the hosts for a fresh look at hypertension. The conversation treats hypertension as more than a number on a cuff. It is linked to cardiovascular disease, stroke, and dementia. The hosts keep pushing on what that means in day-to-day practice. A central thread is time in target range. They compare it to other chronic-care metrics clinicians already follow. The social history gets special attention. Alcohol use is not treated as something to ask once and move on from. Cocaine comes up as another reminder that a blood-pressure diagnosis should trigger a fresh look at habits. Black licorice also earns a place in the discussion. The show leans into the oddness of the example without losing the clinical point. A colleague's patient story about licorice shows how surprising exposures can turn into real emergencies. The patient in that story was a school teacher who got black licorice from students and binged on it. The result was a hypertensive emergency and Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. That detour makes the hypertension discussion feel concrete. The hosts use it to underline why a new diagnosis should prompt a broader review. Their back-and-forth stays question-led and practical. The episode ends up feeling like a collegial hallway consult that still keeps the science front and center.

As heard by us

A pragmatic hypertension refresher that keeps social history front and center.

The episode treats hypertension as more than a set of numbers and spends useful time on the history that can shape management. It ties elevated blood pressure to cardiovascular disease, stroke, and dementia, while keeping social factors like alcohol and cocaine in view.

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Why you'd press play

You want a hypertension refresh that feels like a real clinic conversation, not a slide deck.

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