High blood pressure affects millions of people around the world and is one of the leading causes of serious health problems such as stroke, heart failure, and kidney disease.
Many people do not know they have high blood pressure because it often causes no clear symptoms. For this reason, it is sometimes called a silent killer.
Although medicines can help many patients, some people continue to have high blood pressure even after taking several drugs. Scientists have been searching for new ways to treat these patients, and an unexpected answer may lie in a tiny organ in the neck.
Researchers at the University of Bristol have found that a very small structure called the carotid body may play an important role in raising blood pressure in some people. The carotid body is extremely small, only about the size of a grain of rice.
It sits between two large arteries in the neck that carry blood to the brain. Despite its tiny size, it acts like a sensor that constantly checks how much oxygen is present in the blood.
Normally, the carotid body performs an important job. If oxygen levels fall, it sends signals to the brain. The brain then tells the body to breathe faster and raise blood pressure so that more oxygen can reach the organs. This system is useful during emergencies because it helps keep the body alive when oxygen is low.
However, the researchers discovered that this sensor may become too active in some people. Instead of only reacting during emergencies, it keeps sending signals that make the body maintain higher blood pressure than necessary.
Professor Julian Paton said it is similar to a thermostat that is set too high and keeps trying to increase the temperature even when the room is already warm enough.
The research team, led by Professor Julian Paton and Dr. Angus Nightingale, carried out a clinical trial involving people with resistant hypertension. This condition describes high blood pressure that remains difficult to control despite the use of several medicines.
During the study, doctors removed one of the two carotid bodies. The results were striking. Patients experienced an immediate drop in blood pressure, and the lower levels remained stable over time.
Dr. Nightingale said the improvements were even greater than what doctors often see with medication alone.
The findings suggest that an overactive carotid body could be one of the main reasons why blood pressure rises in certain patients. By directly targeting this tiny organ, doctors may be able to help people who have not benefited enough from current treatments.
The researchers also developed tests that can identify people whose carotid bodies are overactive. The patients who responded best to treatment showed certain signs before surgery. They tended to breathe more heavily while resting and had stronger reactions when oxygen levels were slightly lowered.
These patients experienced the largest reductions in blood pressure after the procedure. This finding raises the possibility of more personalized treatment in the future, where doctors can identify the people who are most likely to benefit.
Although the surgery was successful, the scientists do not believe that removing a carotid body will become the standard treatment for everyone with high blood pressure. Instead, they hope to develop medicines that can calm an overactive carotid body without surgery.
In another study involving animals, the researchers identified a possible target for new drugs. They found that a molecule called ATP helps control the activity of the carotid body. They also discovered a receptor known as P2X3 that responds to ATP.
By blocking this receptor, they were able to reduce the warning signals from the carotid body without completely turning off its important protective functions.
The researchers believe this work could eventually lead to the first completely new type of blood pressure medicine in more than 15 years.
The discovery was made possible through nearly a decade of international teamwork involving universities and hospitals in the United Kingdom, Poland, the United States, Brazil, and New Zealand, with support from the British Heart Foundation.
The findings were published in the journal JACC: Basic to Translational Science. They suggest that one of the smallest organs in the human body may hold the key to treating a major global health problem.
By learning how this tiny sensor influences blood pressure, scientists are moving closer to developing more effective and personalized treatments for people living with difficult-to-control hypertension.
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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