High blood pressure is one of the most common health problems in the world. Doctors also call it hypertension.
The condition develops when blood pushes too strongly against the walls of the arteries over a long period of time. This extra pressure forces the heart to work harder and can slowly damage blood vessels throughout the body.
Many people live with high blood pressure for years without noticing symptoms. Because of this, hypertension is often called a “silent killer.” If it is not treated properly, it can lead to serious health problems such as heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, heart disease, vision problems, and even early death.
Millions of people take daily medication to control their blood pressure. For many patients, treatment lasts for the rest of their lives. Doctors usually recommend a combination of medicine, healthy eating, exercise, reduced salt intake, and lifestyle changes.
However, controlling blood pressure is not always easy. In many cases, doctors cannot fully explain why someone develops hypertension. Some people respond well to medication, while others continue to have dangerously high blood pressure despite trying several different treatments.
Now, researchers in the United Kingdom have made an important discovery that could completely change treatment for some patients with high blood pressure. Scientists from Queen Mary University of London, Barts Hospital, and Cambridge University Hospital have found a way to identify and cure a hidden hormone-related cause of hypertension.
Their findings were published in the medical journal Nature Medicine.
The research focuses on tiny growths found in the adrenal glands. These glands sit on top of the kidneys and play an important role in producing hormones that help control blood pressure, metabolism, salt levels, stress responses, and other body functions.
One hormone made by the adrenal glands is called aldosterone. Aldosterone helps the body balance salt and water. When aldosterone levels become too high, the body keeps too much salt and water inside the bloodstream. This increases blood volume and causes blood pressure to rise.
A condition called primary aldosteronism occurs when the adrenal glands produce too much aldosterone. Researchers believe this condition may affect many more people than previously thought.
The scientists discovered that around one in twenty people with high blood pressure may actually have tiny lumps in their adrenal glands that produce excess aldosterone. These lumps are extremely small and have been very difficult to detect using normal medical scans.
Until now, diagnosing these patients usually required a complicated test that is only available in a limited number of hospitals.
Even then, the older testing method often failed to clearly locate the hormone-producing lump. As a result, many people were never properly diagnosed and missed the opportunity for treatment that could potentially cure their condition.
The new study introduces a much more accurate method for finding these tiny adrenal gland lumps. Researchers combined a specialized CT scan with a urine test to identify the patients most likely to benefit from surgery.
The special scan uses a dye called metomidate. The dye is slightly radioactive but considered safe for medical use. Once injected into the body, the dye attaches specifically to the tiny lump that is overproducing aldosterone.
For a few minutes, the lump lights up clearly on the scan, allowing doctors to see exactly where it is located. This gives surgeons a much better chance of removing the correct tissue.
The researchers tested the new method on 128 patients whose high blood pressure was believed to be linked to excess aldosterone production. According to the study, the scan successfully identified the hormone-producing lumps in every single patient.
This represented a major improvement compared with older testing methods, which often produced unclear or incomplete results.
The study also showed that combining the scan with the urine test helped doctors predict which patients would likely be cured through surgery. In successful cases, removing the small adrenal gland lump allowed blood pressure to return to normal levels.
Some patients were even able to stop taking blood pressure medication completely after treatment.
Professor Morris Brown, who led the research team, explained that these tiny lumps are usually too small to appear on ordinary scans. Because of this, doctors previously struggled to locate the true cause of the problem. The new scanning method may finally allow many more patients to receive accurate diagnosis and treatment.
Professor William Drake, another lead researcher involved in the project, said the discovery was the result of many years of research and teamwork.
He explained that the same research group had also contributed important work during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the group’s long-term commitment to solving major medical challenges.
The findings also build on earlier discoveries from the same team. Previous research showed that around 5 to 10 percent of people with high blood pressure may carry genetic changes affecting the adrenal glands. These changes can cause excessive aldosterone production and make common blood pressure medications less effective.
Patients with this hormone-related form of hypertension often face a higher risk of serious complications such as strokes, heart attacks, irregular heart rhythms, and kidney damage.
By identifying and removing the hormone-producing lumps, doctors may now be able to completely cure some cases of hypertension instead of simply controlling the symptoms with lifelong medication.
Researchers hope the new scanning method will eventually become more widely available in hospitals around the world. If future studies confirm the results, thousands of patients each year could benefit from faster diagnosis, targeted surgery, and potentially life-changing treatment.
The study offers new hope that some people living with difficult-to-control high blood pressure may finally have access to a cure rather than lifelong disease management.
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.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how the dash diet helps lower blood pressure, and how to eat your way to healthy blood pressure.
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