High blood pressure affects millions of people around the world and is one of the biggest causes of heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and kidney disease.
Although many people can control it with lifestyle changes and medicine, some continue to have dangerously high blood pressure even after taking several drugs. Scientists are now studying a tiny organ in the neck that may offer a completely new way to treat this problem.
This tiny organ is called the carotid body. It is only about the size of a grain of rice and sits near the carotid arteries, which carry blood to the brain. Its main job is to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood and quickly warn the brain if oxygen levels fall.
When oxygen levels become too low, the carotid body tells the body to breathe faster and raise blood pressure so more oxygen can reach important organs. This response is helpful during emergencies.
However, researchers believe that in some people the carotid body becomes overactive and keeps sending signals even when they are not needed, causing blood pressure to stay too high.
Researchers at the University of Bristol tested this idea in people with resistant high blood pressure, a condition that does not respond well to standard medicines. In their clinical trial, they removed one of the two carotid bodies. The patients experienced an immediate drop in blood pressure that continued after the procedure.
The scientists found that the biggest improvements occurred in people whose carotid bodies appeared to be especially active. These patients breathed more rapidly while resting and reacted more strongly when oxygen levels were slightly reduced. The findings suggest that not everyone with high blood pressure has the same underlying cause.
This discovery is important because it moves beyond treating the symptoms of high blood pressure. Instead of only acting on the heart, kidneys, or blood vessels, the new approach targets one possible source of the problem. The team has also developed tests that may help doctors identify which patients are most likely to benefit from this type of treatment.
Although the surgery produced encouraging results, the researchers do not expect it to become a routine treatment for most people. Their next goal is to create medicines that can reduce the activity of an overactive carotid body without the need for an operation.
In related animal research, the team discovered that a molecule called ATP helps activate the carotid body. They also identified a receptor known as P2X3 that responds to ATP. By blocking this receptor, they were able to reduce the warning signals while allowing the carotid body to continue doing its normal job.
If future studies confirm these findings, they could lead to the first new type of blood pressure medicine developed in more than 15 years. The work involved nearly a decade of collaboration between researchers in the United Kingdom, Poland, the United States, Brazil, and New Zealand, with support from the British Heart Foundation.
The study was led by Professor Julian Paton and Dr. Angus Nightingale and published in JACC: Basic to Translational Science. The findings suggest that a tiny organ once thought to have a limited role may become the key to more personalized and effective treatment for people with difficult-to-control high blood pressure.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies about breakfast for better blood pressure management, and the gut feeling that lowers blood pressure.
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