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Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum
Research Institute
Mount Sinai Hospital
Joseph & Wolf Lebovic Health Complex
600 University Avenue
Toronto Ontario
M5G 1X5
Tel.: 416-586-4800 ext.5187
► The Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research
► Web of Science Researcher ID
E-4626-2013
SENIOR INVESTIGATOR, EMERITUS
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 Senior Investigator at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum 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.
At a Glance
Dr. Alexander Logan studies hypertension/high blood pressure
He leads a study where diabetic patients with uncontrolled hypertension self-monitor their blood pressure at home and use a mobile phone to send the results to their doctor
He studies the effects of fluid shifting from the legs at night on blood pressure and breathing patterns in patients with drug-resistant hypertension
Major Research Activities
Dr. Logan's research examines the hypothesis that fluid accumulation in the legs during the daytime is reabsorbed at night worsening hypertension and increasing the severity of sleep apnea. He is using physiological inventions studies to test the hypothesis in patients with drug resistant and controlled hypertension. He is also developing and testing a mobile phone telemonitoring system to improve blood pressure and glycemic control of diabetic patients.