Researchers from Queen Mary University of London and other institutions have made a major breakthrough in treating high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.
They have developed a new type of CT scan that can detect tiny growths in the adrenal glands that, when removed, can completely cure high blood pressure in some people.
This discovery solves a long-standing problem that has puzzled doctors for more than 60 years. It provides a faster, safer, and more accurate way to diagnose the cause of high blood pressure in certain patients.
About one in every 20 people with high blood pressure has small nodules in their adrenal glands that produce too much of a hormone called aldosterone. This hormone helps regulate salt and water balance in the body, but when there’s too much of it, it can raise blood pressure to dangerous levels.
In the past, these nodules were extremely difficult to find. The traditional method involved inserting a catheter into the veins of the adrenal glands to measure hormone levels directly. This test is invasive, technically complex, and only available in a few specialized hospitals. Even when it was done, it often failed to identify the problem accurately.
The new CT scan changes everything. In a study involving 128 people with high blood pressure caused by excess aldosterone, the researchers used this new scanning technique and got remarkable results.
The scan revealed that in about two-thirds of these patients, a single benign nodule in one adrenal gland was the source of the hormone overproduction. When doctors surgically removed that nodule, the patients’ blood pressure returned to normal, and some were able to stop taking medication altogether.
The new scan works by using a short-acting radioactive dye called metomidate, which attaches to the aldosterone-producing nodule. When this happens, the nodule “lights up” on the scan, clearly showing doctors where the problem is. Unlike the older catheter test, this scan is painless, quick, and works successfully for every patient.
An exciting part of this discovery is that the scan can also predict which patients are most likely to be completely cured after surgery. When the CT scan results were combined with a simple urine test that measures hormone levels, doctors could accurately identify which patients could stop taking blood pressure medications after surgery.
In fact, the combination of these two tests correctly predicted 18 out of 24 patients who were able to maintain normal blood pressure without medication after the nodule was removed.
These nodules are often very small and go unnoticed on standard CT scans. That’s why so many people have gone undiagnosed for years. Experts estimate that as many as 99% of cases have been missed.
The new scan finally allows doctors to see these nodules clearly for a short period after the dye is injected, revealing the true cause of the patient’s high blood pressure.
The study, led by Professor Morris Brown and published in Nature Medicine, could transform how doctors treat high blood pressure. As this new scanning method becomes more widely available, it could allow thousands of patients to receive the right diagnosis and possibly a complete cure.
It also offers hope of reducing the number of people who suffer from long-term complications such as heart attacks, strokes, and kidney damage caused by uncontrolled hypertension.
This advancement is a major step forward in personalized medicine, offering a way to target the real cause of high blood pressure in some patients rather than just managing the symptoms. With better diagnosis and treatment, many people may finally have the chance to live medication-free, healthier lives.
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