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Possibility of Hypertension for Giant Pandas
A Chinese scientist claims in an academic paper published here that the giant panda, one of the most endangered species of primates in the world, is able to suffer from high blood pressure, just as human beings do.
But it is difficult to determine a giant panda's blood pressure, said Chen Yucun, director of the Giant Panda Research Center in Fuzhou, capital of east China's Fujian Province.
The normal high blood pressure of a panda stands at 140-160, while the low blood pressure ranges between 80 and 90. A 21-year- old giant panda at Chen's center was diagnosed as having hypertension last March. After a week's treatment, its blood pressure dropped to the normal 158/90 mm.
Chen said that hypertension is the source of many diseases for giant pandas, and he advised regular blood pressure check-ups.
Chen's center is a major giant panda research base. It has achieved a number of breakthroughs, including panda embryo clone and the world record for older pandas to give birth.
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