High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is a common and dangerous condition. It happens when the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries is too high. If left untreated, it can lead to serious problems like heart disease, strokes, kidney damage, and even death.
Many people with high blood pressure take daily medication to control it, often for the rest of their lives. In many cases, doctors don’t know exactly why the condition develops, which makes treatment more difficult.
But now, researchers in the UK have made an exciting discovery that could change how some people with high blood pressure are treated. Doctors from Queen Mary University of London, Barts Hospital, and Cambridge University Hospital have found a way to cure high blood pressure in a small group of patients by identifying and removing tiny lumps in a hormone-producing gland.
These small lumps grow in the adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys. The adrenal glands make hormones, including one called aldosterone. This hormone helps the body control salt levels and blood pressure.
However, in some people, the adrenal gland makes too much aldosterone. When that happens, the body keeps more salt than it needs. This extra salt causes water to stay in the body, which raises blood pressure. This condition is called primary aldosteronism.
The researchers found that about one in twenty people with high blood pressure have tiny lumps in their adrenal glands that produce too much aldosterone. Until now, these lumps were extremely hard to detect.
The only way to try to find them was by using a difficult test that many hospitals did not offer. This meant that many people never got a proper diagnosis or the chance to receive surgery that could cure their condition.
The new study, however, has changed that. The researchers used a special type of CT scan along with a urine test to find these small hormone-producing lumps. The scan involves injecting a dye called metomidate into the patient.
This dye is slightly radioactive but safe. It sticks only to the lump that is producing the extra aldosterone. When this happens, the lump becomes visible on the scan for a short time, just a few minutes. This allows doctors to see exactly where the lump is located.
The team tested this method on 128 patients whose high blood pressure was thought to be caused by too much aldosterone. The new scan worked in every single case.
This is a big improvement over the older test, which often gave unclear results or failed completely. The combination of the scan and the urine test also helped doctors predict which patients would be cured by surgery.
When the lump is removed, the patient’s blood pressure can return to normal, and they may no longer need medication. This offers real hope for people whose high blood pressure is caused by these tiny lumps.
According to Professor Morris Brown, who led the research, these lumps are usually too small to be seen with normal scans. But thanks to this new method, they can now be clearly seen and treated.
Professor William Drake, another lead researcher, explained that this discovery took many years of careful work. He said the same research group also played an important role during the COVID-19 pandemic, showing their dedication and expertise in solving tough health problems.
He believes that with continued research, more people with hard-to-treat high blood pressure could benefit from this new approach.
This discovery also builds on earlier work by the same team. In past studies, they found that about 5 to 10 percent of people with high blood pressure have a genetic change in their adrenal glands that causes them to make too much aldosterone. These people usually don’t respond well to common blood pressure medicines.
They are also at a higher risk of serious problems like heart attacks and strokes. Finding and removing the lumps in these patients can lead to a complete cure, giving them a better and longer life.
This study was published in the medical journal Nature Medicine and offers hope for a safer, faster, and more accurate way to treat high blood pressure for people with hormone-related causes. If more research confirms these results, this could become a standard test in hospitals around the world, helping thousands of people each year.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and natural coconut sugar could help reduce blood pressure and artery stiffness.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies about How to eat your way to healthy blood pressure and results showing that Modified traditional Chinese cuisine can lower blood pressure.
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