High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a major health problem that affects more than 1.5 billion people around the world. It is one of the top causes of heart disease and stroke.
Doctors and scientists are always trying to learn more about what causes high blood pressure so they can find better ways to prevent and treat it.
A new study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital has discovered something surprising. A hormone called aldosterone may play a bigger role in high blood pressure than people used to think.
Aldosterone is made by the adrenal glands, which are located on top of the kidneys. This hormone helps control the balance of salt (sodium) and potassium in the body. When the body makes too much aldosterone, it can lead to a condition called primary aldosteronism. This condition raises blood pressure.
In the past, doctors thought this condition was rare. But this new research shows it may be much more common than we believed.
The scientists studied people with normal blood pressure, people with slightly high blood pressure, and those with very high or hard-to-treat blood pressure. They found that as blood pressure levels went up, aldosterone levels also increased.
Even more surprising was that many people with high aldosterone levels would not have been diagnosed using current medical tests. This means a lot of people may have hormone-related high blood pressure without knowing it.
This is an important finding. It suggests that high aldosterone levels might be a hidden cause of high blood pressure in a lot of people—not just a few. If doctors test for this hormone more often, they may be able to help more people lower their blood pressure in better ways.
There are already drugs available that block the effects of aldosterone. These drugs are called aldosterone antagonists. They are not expensive and are easy to find. If more doctors test for aldosterone levels, they can give these medicines to patients who need them.
This study may change the way we think about treating high blood pressure. Right now, most treatments include healthy eating, regular exercise, and blood pressure-lowering medicines. These steps are still important, but checking for high aldosterone could help even more people.
Other helpful tips for managing blood pressure include eating nutritious foods, trying intermittent fasting, and checking your blood pressure regularly at home.
This study was led by Dr. Jenifer M. Brown and published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. It brings new information about a health condition that affects millions of people. By focusing more on the hormone aldosterone, doctors may be able to help people lower their blood pressure and reduce their risk of heart attacks and strokes.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about unhealthy habits that could increase high blood pressure risk, and eating eggs in a healthy diet may reduce risks of diabetes, high blood pressure.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and results showing 12 foods that lower blood pressure.
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