High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a common and serious condition. It happens when the force of blood against artery walls is too strong.
If not treated, it can lead to heart disease, strokes, kidney problems, or even death. Many people take medicine every day to control their blood pressure, often for their whole lives. But the cause is often unknown, which makes it harder to treat.
Now, researchers in the UK have made a surprising discovery that could change how some people with high blood pressure are treated.
Doctors at 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 removing tiny lumps from a hormone-producing gland.
These small lumps grow in the adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys. These glands make hormones, including one called aldosterone. Aldosterone helps control salt and water levels in the body, which affects blood pressure.
But in some people, the adrenal glands make too much aldosterone. This leads to a condition called primary aldosteronism. The extra aldosterone causes the body to keep more salt and water, which raises blood pressure.
The researchers found that about 1 in 20 people with high blood pressure have these tiny lumps in their adrenal glands that make too much aldosterone. Until now, these lumps were very hard to find. Doctors had to use a difficult test that most hospitals did not offer, so many patients never got the right diagnosis or the chance to be cured through surgery.
The new study changed that. Researchers used a special kind of CT scan along with a urine test to find the hormone-producing lumps.
The scan involved a dye called metomidate, which is mildly radioactive but safe. It sticks only to the lump making the extra aldosterone, making it visible for a few minutes during the scan. This allowed doctors to see exactly where the lump was.
They tested this method on 128 patients with high blood pressure linked to too much aldosterone. The new scan worked in every case. This was a big improvement over the old method, which often failed or gave unclear results. With the scan and urine test combined, doctors could predict who would be cured by surgery.
When the lump is removed, blood pressure can return to normal, and some patients no longer need medicine. This discovery offers real hope for people with this specific type of high blood pressure.
Professor Morris Brown, who led the study, said that these lumps are too small to see with normal scans. But with the new method, they can now be clearly found and treated.
Professor William Drake, another lead researcher, explained that this breakthrough took years of hard work. He said the same research team also helped during the COVID-19 pandemic and are committed to solving big health problems.
Earlier research by this group also showed that 5% to 10% of people with high blood pressure have a genetic change in their adrenal glands that causes too much aldosterone.
These patients often do not respond well to regular blood pressure drugs and face higher risks of heart attacks and strokes. For them, finding and removing these lumps could lead to a full cure and a healthier life.
The study was published in the medical journal Nature Medicine. It offers a safer, faster, and more accurate way to find and treat certain kinds of high blood pressure. If more research confirms these results, this new scan could be used in hospitals around the world to help 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 health information, please see recent studies about added sugar in your diet linked to higher blood pressure, and results showing vitamin D could improve blood pressure in people with diabetes.
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