Editor Daniel J. Salzberg, MD, FACP University of Maryland Medical System, 22 South Greene Street, Room N3W143, Baltimore, MD 21201-1595, USA.E-mail: dsalzber@medicine.umaryland.edu

Contributor Adam Weinstein, MD E-mail: aweinstein@medicine.umaryland.edu

This issue of Web Alert looks at websites offering patient information about diseases (and their treatments) that are often a consequence of or related to hypertension.

HeartSite.comhttp://www.heartsite.com

This website is one of many computer-based educational endeavors by Dr. Abdulla M. Abdulla, of the medical college of Georgia. This site specifically aims to provide educational materials on cardiac function and illnesses, testing modalities, and treatment options. All of the sections are interactive, clearly written, and illustrated with pictures or animations. In particular, the pages describing heart failure are well done. There is clear writing and animation, and easily understood analogies to more commonly experienced situations (such as malfunctioning water pumps and weakened-springs) that illustrate the physiology of congestive heart failure.

This website is easy to navigate and well written. I would recommend that this website be used by patients and their families as an educational adjunct to physician teaching. Given the high-quality animations and graphics, it is worth considering having patients view this site on Internet-accessible computers in an office setting.

Access requirements: An HTML browser compatible with Microsoft Windows 98, ME, 2000, or XP, or Mac OS 9.0 or 10.0+.

American Heart Association (AHA)—Healthy Living http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200009

These pages are a patient-oriented area on the AHA website dedicated to reducing the risk for coronary artery disease (CAD). They offer a variety of articles discussing healthy eating, exercise, lifestyle management (weight loss and compliance), and lowering cholesterol. There are also pages focused on CAD in women, smoking cessation, and heart-health education for children. Of inter-est, there is a variety of free Microsoft PowerPoint slide sets and handouts intended for lay people to download and utilize at gatherings of civic and community organizations.

This site is well-organized and offers objective information from a highly reputable source. Despite the fact that the information on obesity and weight management is not directly linked to the main healthy living webpage, this is an excellent resource for CAD information.

Access requirements: An HTML browser compatible with Microsoft Windows 98, ME, 2000, or XP, or Mac OS 9.0 or 10.0+.

National Kidney Foundation—Patient’s Pageshttp://www.kidney.org/patients/

The National Kidney Foundation offers a series of consumer-oriented pages that cover both cur-rent events, such as Medicare Part D, and more medically focused information, such as the “People Like Us” campaign aimed at people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The educational pages associated with the “People Like Us” campaign are focused on CKD education and risk-factor modification. An example page entitled, “Managing Your Life with Kidney Failure” is presented in a comprehensive outline form covering topics from sexuality to coping strategies to finances.

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Although the information is clearly written in bullet-point outlines, the presentation does not appear as user friendly as that of some other organ-specific foundations (eg, the American Heart Association). In fact, the outline style may be a barrier for some people. One area of interest is the section on understanding kidney function (anatomy and physiology). This could be very helpful for newly referred patients.

Overall, this site is comprehensive and unbiased, characteristics that often trump aesthetic con-cerns when it comes to disseminating sound medical information.

Access requirements: An HTML browser compatible with Microsoft Windows 98, ME, 2000, or XP, or Mac OS 9.0 or 10.0+.

American Diabetes Association (ADA)—Multimedia Education Pageshttp://diabetesorg.healthology.com/

The ADA has put together a comprehensive consumer education website that covers the manage-ment of diabetes, associated illnesses, and lifestyle management issues, such as weight loss and exercise. Each topic is covered in great depth, with specific information such as types of exercises, guides to cooking and eating out, and links to related educational information. Of particular inter-est are the streaming video content and message boards for open discussion with other diabetics. Both of these are unique features to the websites of a national organization.

The site is well organized and easy to read, but it does have some ads for books and videos for sale. Access requirements: An HTML browser compatible with Microsoft Windows 98, ME, 2000,

or XP, or Mac OS 9.0 or 10.0+. Real One Player is required to view the video content.

Food Values http://www.foodvalues.us/

In treating all of the illnesses discussed earlier, lifestyle modification is very important. However, one of the most frustrating aspects about lifestyle counseling is the lack of large volumes of information on common foods. Using this website, patients can easily search US Department of Agriculture (USDA) information on many foods sold in supermarkets. For example, searching for the word “chicken” will display a 323-item list of chicken parts (from gizzards to back meat with skin to livers), preparation methods, and associated nutritional information, such as kilocalories, protein, sodium (in mg), phosphorus, and carbohydrate value (in grams). Clicking on any of the items displays an even more comprehensive list.

Although the website is a subsection of Nephron.com and was originally designed for renal patients, the amazing amount of quickly available, relevant food information makes this site useful for any patient who is attempting dietary modification of cardiovascular risk factors.

Access requirements: An HTML browser compatible with Microsoft Windows 98, ME, 2000, or XP, or Mac OS 9.0 or 10.0+.