High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, affects more than 1.5 billion people around the world. It’s one of the leading causes of heart disease and stroke.
To better prevent and treat this condition, scientists are always trying to learn more about what causes it.
A recent study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital has found that a hormone called aldosterone may play a bigger role in high blood pressure than we thought.
Aldosterone is a hormone made by the adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys. This hormone helps control blood pressure by balancing the levels of sodium and potassium in the body. When the body makes too much aldosterone, it causes a condition called primary aldosteronism. This can lead to high blood pressure.
In the past, primary aldosteronism was thought to be rare. But this new study suggests it might be much more common.
Researchers looked at people with different levels of blood pressure—from normal levels to people with mild and severe high blood pressure. They also studied people with resistant hypertension, which means their blood pressure is hard to treat with regular medicine.
The scientists found that as blood pressure levels rose, so did aldosterone levels. This pattern was seen across all groups. What’s surprising is that most of the people with high aldosterone levels would not have been diagnosed using today’s medical guidelines. That means many people may have hormone-related high blood pressure and not know it.
This discovery is very important. It shows that high levels of aldosterone could be a hidden cause of high blood pressure in many people, not just a small group. Knowing this could help doctors do a better job of treating patients.
There are already medicines called aldosterone antagonists that block the effects of aldosterone. These drugs are affordable and easy to get. If more doctors begin testing for aldosterone, they can offer these medications to people who might benefit from them.
This study suggests that we may need to change how we think about treating high blood pressure. So far, most treatments have focused on diet changes, exercise, and medicine to lower blood pressure. These are still important, but testing for aldosterone and treating it directly might help even more people.
Other helpful tools for managing blood pressure include eating healthy foods, trying intermittent fasting, and checking blood pressure regularly at home.
The study was led by Dr. Jenifer M. Brown and was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. It gives new information about a health problem that affects millions of people. By focusing more on aldosterone, doctors might be able to help more people lower their blood pressure and avoid heart disease and strokes in the future.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about how diets could help lower high blood pressure, and 3 grams of omega-3s a day keep high blood pressure at bay.
For more health information, please see recent studies that beetroot juice could help reduce blood pressure, and results showing cinnamon could help lower high blood pressure.
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