Have you ever wished for a simple solution to high blood pressure? Researchers from Queen Mary University in London, Barts Hospital, and Cambridge University Hospital have good news!
They’ve developed a new type of body scan that can pinpoint tiny spots on a gland near your kidney that could be the reason behind high blood pressure for some people.
And here’s the real kicker: removing these spots may actually cure high blood pressure.
What’s the Big Deal?
For a long time, doctors have been stumped by high blood pressure, or hypertension as they call it in the medical world.
Most people with high blood pressure don’t even know why they have it. They take medications for life to control it, but that’s not a real cure.
High blood pressure is a sneaky villain. It increases the risk of serious health issues like heart attacks and strokes.
Some researchers from Queen Mary University had an idea that 5% to 10% of people with high blood pressure might have it because of a hormone called aldosterone.
The body needs aldosterone to balance salt and water in our blood, but too much of it can cause trouble.
In these cases, the hormone is being made in excess by small lumps, or nodules, in a gland located near the kidneys, known as the adrenal gland.
Before this new scan, finding these tiny nodules was like finding a needle in a haystack. The tests were complicated and only done in a few places.
Even then, they didn’t always work well. But now, this new scan uses a special dye that sticks only to these hormone-making nodules. Once the dye is in, the nodules show up on the scan, clear as day.
How the Study Worked
Researchers used this new scan on 128 people. For many, the scan showed that one of their adrenal glands had these tiny nodules making too much aldosterone. Doctors then removed these faulty adrenal glands.
The amazing part? A large number of these people no longer had high blood pressure and could stop taking their medications.
One of the coolest things about this study was that doctors paired the new scan with a simple urine test. This combo was a home run.
It helped identify which patients would get back to normal blood pressure after the gland was removed.
What Does This Mean for the Future?
The researchers are very excited about what this could mean for treating high blood pressure.
According to Professor Morris Brown, one of the lead researchers, most people with these hormone-making nodules have never been diagnosed because it’s been too hard to do so. He believes this new scan could change that.
Professor William Drake, another lead researcher, said this discovery is the result of years of teamwork.
He was especially proud of the younger researchers who did a lot of the work while also helping out in hospitals during the pandemic. He believes the future of this area of research is in good hands.
So, there’s a ray of hope. For some people, high blood pressure could actually be cured, not just managed. It’s a game-changer, and it’s all thanks to a simple scan and the hard work of some very smart people.
It’s early days, but this research opens a new door in the world of high blood pressure treatment. Who knows? Maybe one day, a simple scan will be all it takes to cure this condition for good.
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The study was published in Nature Medicine.
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