Lots of people have high blood pressure. It can be a dangerous health issue that can lead to a stroke or a heart attack.
Usually, doctors give medicine to keep this under control.
But, what if the usual medicines don’t work?
There’s a type of high blood pressure that’s really hard to control. It’s called ‘apparent resistant hypertension’ (aRH). This needs more than the usual care.
New Findings on aRH
Scientists at the Smidt Heart Institute, a part of Cedars-Sinai hospital, did a study on this tough-to-treat high blood pressure.
They found out that it’s not as common as they first thought. Still, it’s affecting almost 1 out of 10 people who have high blood pressure.
Surprising Medication Use
These researchers also discovered something interesting about the medicine used to treat this hard-to-control high blood pressure. It’s called MRA (short for mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist).
They found that more patients who could manage their aRH were on MRA. This was 34% of patients. But, only 11% of those who couldn’t control their aRH were on MRA.
Diagnosing aRH: A Tough Task
Dr. Joseph Ebinger, a heart specialist at the Smidt Heart Institute, says that aRH is more common than we think.
There’s also a big difference in how doctors treat high blood pressure. So, there’s a need to have a standard way to care for these patients.
The diagnosis of aRH is as hard as treating it. Before the doctors say it’s aRH, they have to make sure there’s no other reason for the high blood pressure.
This could be things like patients not taking their medicine, taking the wrong medicine, or getting high blood pressure only at the doctor’s office.
The Importance of Identifying aRH
Dr. Ebinger also said that patients with aRH have a higher risk for heart problems. So, it’s important to find these patients and understand why their blood pressure is high.
Awareness for Both Doctors and Patients
The lesson here is that both doctors and patients need to be aware. Doctors should know that if a patient needs four or more medicines to control their high blood pressure, there might be other causes.
They should consider sending these patients to a specialist.
Patients should also rely on their doctors to help them understand this disease. This could include how to remember to take their medication and how to handle possible side effects.
The Heart of Expertise
Cedars-Sinai is really good at helping patients with these complex heart issues. The Smidt Heart Institute there even got a special award from the American Heart Association for its work in treating high blood pressure.
The head of the heart department at the institute, Dr. Christine M. Albert, said that this award, along with their expertise in studying and treating high blood pressure, shows their dedication.
They aim to provide the best care based on research for people with high blood pressure.
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The study was published in Hypertension.
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