High blood pressure is a serious, global health issue.
It’s not only common but also difficult to manage for many people, even with medication, diet, and lifestyle changes.
Those who struggle to control their blood pressure often face an increased risk of heart disease, kidney issues, and strokes.
A new study published in JAMA suggests a promising treatment for people with stubborn high blood pressure.
This method, called renal denervation (RDN), involves a small, minimally invasive procedure that uses sound energy to target nerves linked to high blood pressure. It’s designed for patients whose blood pressure doesn’t respond well to medication.
How Renal Denervation Works
Renal denervation, or RDN, is a procedure similar to inserting a stent, which is a tiny tube used to keep blood vessels open. However, instead of opening a vessel, RDN targets specific nerves.
Here’s how it works: a small tube, known as a catheter, is inserted through a tiny incision in the wrist or groin. This catheter is guided to the main blood vessel supplying blood to the kidney.
Once in place, sound energy, or sometimes radiofrequency energy, is delivered through the catheter to reduce nerve activity around the vessel.
These nerves play a role in regulating blood pressure, so reducing their activity helps to lower it. After completing the procedure on both kidneys, the catheter is removed, and the patient’s blood pressure often begins to lower soon after.
How Effective Is It?
A large clinical trial, called the Radiance II trial, tested RDN on 224 patients with difficult-to-control high blood pressure. According to Dr. Stephen Jenkins from Ochsner Health, a co-author of the study, RDN offers a promising option for those whose high blood pressure is resistant to other treatments.
Earlier studies had shown RDN’s effectiveness in lowering blood pressure in patients with mild to moderate high blood pressure and those with treatment-resistant cases.
The Radiance II trial confirmed that RDN is effective for patients with uncontrolled high blood pressure as well.
In this trial, patients who underwent RDN experienced sustained lower blood pressure levels for at least two months following the procedure, suggesting that RDN could be a long-lasting solution for managing high blood pressure.
Evidence from Multiple Studies
The results from this study align with findings from two previous trials on RDN, which were published in JAMA Cardiology.
Together, these studies included over 500 patients, providing a large body of evidence that RDN consistently lowers blood pressure across different groups of patients with varying levels of high blood pressure.
This procedure could become a valuable option for people who haven’t found relief with medication or other lifestyle changes. While RDN is still undergoing research, it holds promise for those seeking a new way to manage high blood pressure effectively.
For anyone interested in blood pressure health, studies have also highlighted other helpful methods, like drinking tea, which may help reduce blood pressure, or time-restricted eating, which has shown potential benefits.
Additionally, research has linked added sugars to higher blood pressure and found that vitamin D may improve blood pressure control in people with diabetes.
The RDN study, published in JAMA, offers hope for a new, non-drug treatment for people with high blood pressure, paving the way for safer and more effective management options.
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