High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is one of the biggest health problems in the world.
More than 1.5 billion people are living with it, and many do not know they have the condition because it often causes no early warning signs.
When blood pressure stays too high for many years, it can slowly damage the heart, brain, kidneys, and blood vessels.
This greatly increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, and other serious health problems. Because of these risks, scientists continue to search for better ways to understand, prevent, and treat high blood pressure.
For many years, experts have known that high blood pressure has many causes.
Family history, eating too much salt, carrying extra body weight, not getting enough exercise, smoking, drinking too much alcohol, stress, and some medical conditions can all play a part.
However, new research suggests that a hormone called aldosterone may be responsible for far more cases than doctors once believed.
Aldosterone is a hormone made by the adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys. Its main job is to help the body control the balance of salt and water.
When the body makes the right amount, it helps keep blood pressure stable.
But when too much aldosterone is produced, the body holds on to extra salt and water. This increases the amount of fluid in the bloodstream and pushes blood pressure higher. This condition is called primary aldosteronism.
For many years, doctors thought primary aldosteronism was uncommon. However, a new study led by Dr. Jenifer Brown at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the United States suggests it may actually be much more common than previously believed.
The researchers studied people with normal blood pressure, mildly high blood pressure, severe high blood pressure, and people whose blood pressure stayed high even after taking standard medicines.
The researchers found that people with more severe hypertension were much more likely to have higher levels of aldosterone. Many participants showed clear signs of having too much of this hormone, even though they would not have been diagnosed using today’s standard medical guidelines. This suggests that many people may be living with hormone-related high blood pressure without knowing it.
The findings could change the way doctors think about hypertension. Instead of treating primary aldosteronism as a rare disorder, doctors may need to consider it much more often when evaluating patients with high blood pressure.
If more people are tested for high aldosterone levels, many could receive treatments that are better matched to the real cause of their condition.
This is especially important because medicines that block the effects of aldosterone already exist. These drugs, known as aldosterone antagonists, are widely available and are already used to treat certain heart conditions and some people with high blood pressure.
If they are prescribed to the right patients, they may lower blood pressure more effectively and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
The study also highlights the growing importance of personalized medicine. Rather than giving every patient the same treatment, doctors may be able to identify the hormone causing the problem and choose medicines that directly target it. This could improve treatment results and help more people keep their blood pressure under control.
Healthy lifestyle habits remain an important part of blood pressure control. Eating a balanced diet with less salt, staying physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding smoking, limiting alcohol, managing stress, and checking blood pressure regularly at home can all help. Medicines work best when combined with these healthy habits.
The researchers believe their findings show that there is still much to learn about the causes of hypertension. Better understanding of hormones such as aldosterone could lead to earlier diagnosis, more effective treatment, and better health for millions of people worldwide.
The study was published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
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