High blood pressure, also called hypertension, affects over 1.5 billion people around the world. It increases the risk of serious health problems like heart disease and stroke. For years, doctors and researchers have tried to understand what causes high blood pressure so they can find better ways to prevent and treat it.
While many factors are already known—like genetics, poor diet, lack of exercise, stress, and too much salt—a new study has found that one hormone may play a bigger role than we once thought.
This hormone is called aldosterone. It is made by small glands on top of the kidneys, called adrenal glands. Aldosterone helps the body control salt and water levels, which affects blood pressure.
If the body makes too much aldosterone, it can cause the body to hold on to too much salt and water. This can raise blood pressure and put more strain on the heart and blood vessels. This condition is known as primary aldosteronism.
For a long time, doctors believed that primary aldosteronism was very rare. But new research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the United States suggests it may actually be quite common.
The study, led by Dr. Jenifer Brown, looked at people with different levels of blood pressure—from normal, to mildly high, to severely high and even those whose high blood pressure did not improve with usual treatments.
The results showed that people with more severe blood pressure problems often had higher levels of aldosterone. In fact, many of the people in the study had signs of too much aldosterone, but they would not have been diagnosed under current medical guidelines.
This means that many people around the world might have high blood pressure caused in part by aldosterone, but they don’t know it.
This discovery is important because it could change how doctors think about high blood pressure. Instead of seeing primary aldosteronism as a rare disease, we might need to start seeing it as something quite common. This would mean more people could get the right treatment if doctors routinely checked aldosterone levels when treating high blood pressure.
Luckily, there are already medications that can block the effects of aldosterone. These drugs are called aldosterone antagonists. They are affordable, widely available, and already used to treat some people with heart problems and high blood pressure.
If more patients with high blood pressure were given these medications, it could help lower their blood pressure more effectively and reduce their chances of getting heart disease or having a stroke.
The study also encourages doctors to change the way they test and treat people with high blood pressure. Instead of treating everyone the same way, they could check for high aldosterone and offer more targeted treatments. This could make a big difference in how well people respond to care.
In addition to medication, other helpful ways to manage high blood pressure include healthy eating, regular physical activity, reducing salt in the diet, and keeping a healthy weight. Some research also shows that fasting and tracking blood pressure at home can help.
This new research shows that we still have much to learn about what causes high blood pressure. But by paying more attention to hormones like aldosterone, we may be able to help many more people live longer, healthier lives.
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