High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, affects more than 116 million adults in the United States.
It is a serious health condition because it increases the chances of having heart disease or a stroke—two of the top causes of death in the country.
Even though many people take medicine for high blood pressure, it can still be difficult to control. In 2020 alone, high blood pressure contributed to or directly caused over 670,000 deaths. But now, scientists from the University of Virginia have made a breakthrough that could change how we treat this condition in the future.
In their new study, the researchers discovered an important process in the body that helps control blood pressure. Understanding this process could lead to better and safer treatments for people with high blood pressure.
Our blood pressure is partly controlled by calcium inside certain cells that make up the walls of our blood vessels. These cells, called smooth muscle cells, use calcium to help the blood vessels either tighten or relax. When blood vessels tighten, blood pressure goes up. When they relax, blood pressure goes down.
Many current medicines for high blood pressure are called calcium channel blockers. These drugs stop too much calcium from entering the cells, helping the blood vessels relax and lowering blood pressure.
However, calcium is also important in other parts of the body, such as the heart, muscles, and brain. So, these medicines can sometimes cause unwanted side effects.
The new study identified two tiny control centers inside the smooth muscle cells. These are called “nanodomains.” Think of them like tiny switches that help decide whether a blood vessel should tighten or relax. In healthy people, these nanodomains work together to keep blood pressure at a healthy level.
But in people with high blood pressure, the researchers found that something goes wrong. The “tightening” signals from the nanodomains become stronger than the “relaxing” signals. This causes the blood vessels to stay tighter than they should, which raises blood pressure.
This discovery is important because it shows a more detailed picture of what causes high blood pressure—not just that calcium plays a role, but exactly how it works inside the cells.
Scientists now hope to create new treatments that target these nanodomains specifically. That way, they can control blood pressure without affecting calcium’s other important jobs in the body.
Such targeted treatments could have fewer side effects and be more effective for people who struggle to manage their high blood pressure with current medications. However, more research is needed to fully understand how these nanodomains work and how to develop safe drugs that act on them.
Still, this finding is a big step forward. Instead of only treating the symptoms of high blood pressure, future medicines could target the root of the problem. This could help millions of people live longer, healthier lives by reducing their risk of serious problems like heart attacks and strokes.
This exciting research gives new hope in the fight against one of the most common and dangerous health conditions in the world.
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