Dr. Alexander (Sandy) Logan
INVESTIGATOR

Hypertension is known as “the silent killer.” Hypertension - or high blood pressure - is the number one risk factor for stroke and a major cause of heart disease. It affects 20 to 25 per cent of the adult population, and becomes more common as people age. In people with diabetes hypertension can lead to kidney failure; it is also linked to sleep apnea and sleep deprivation.

As a physician, Dr. Alexander Logan sees first-hand the devastating effects of hypertension. As a Scientist at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Dr. Logan conducts research into the causes and treatment of drug-resistant hypertension. Dr. Logan is employing an innovative approach for determining better ways to control blood pressure in patients with diabetes.  Participants are provided with a specially equipped home blood pressure measuring device and a cell phone, which automatically transmits readings to the hospital.. The resulting range of readings facilitates better management of patients’ blood pressure.  Good control could, in the long term, translate into 40% fewer heart attacks and strokes among diabetes patients with uncontrolled hypertension.

In a study of sleep apnea and drug-resistant hypertension, Dr. Logan and his team are assessing the relationship of fluid movement from the legs during the night and sleep disordered breathing. The concept is novel and posits that sleep apnea and abnormal sleep patterns are secondary problems, not the primary, as is generally thought. Their findings may have significant implications for the management of these related conditions. He is also an executive member of a team of investigators assessing the effects of treating sleep apnea in heart failure patients with a device that is better able to restore normal breathing pattern.