Ground-breaking research: Scientists find new way to fight blood pressure
Researchers perform experiment to keep treat world’s biggest silent killer.
Scientists find new way to fight blood pressure. PHOTO: FILE
LONDON:
Scientists experimenting with rats have found that de-activating certain nerves in the neck can effectively treat high blood pressure (hypertension), a discovery that could be an advance in tackling one of the world’s biggest silent killers.
Researchers at Britain’s Bristol University found that in rats with high blood pressure, when they removed nerve links between the brain and the carotid body -- a nodule about the size of a grain of rice -- on the side of each carotid artery, the animals’ blood pressure fell and remained low.
The researchers’ results, published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, have already led the team on to conduct a small human trial of the technique, with results expected at the end of this year.
Hypertension is referred to by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the world’s biggest silent killers because most people who have it cannot feel or see it. It affects around one in three people worldwide and can cause stroke, heart attack and kidney failure.
After diagnosis, treatment of high blood pressure needs to be lifelong and many patients are able to manage their condition with anti-hypertension drugs. But experts say that for around 1 in 50 of them, medication does not help.
Julian Paton, who led this latest study at Bristol’s school of physiology and pharmacology, said while scientists already knew of a link between the carotid organs and hypertension, until now, they ‘had absolutely no idea that they contributed so massively to the generation of high blood pressure.’
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2013.
Scientists experimenting with rats have found that de-activating certain nerves in the neck can effectively treat high blood pressure (hypertension), a discovery that could be an advance in tackling one of the world’s biggest silent killers.
Researchers at Britain’s Bristol University found that in rats with high blood pressure, when they removed nerve links between the brain and the carotid body -- a nodule about the size of a grain of rice -- on the side of each carotid artery, the animals’ blood pressure fell and remained low.
The researchers’ results, published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, have already led the team on to conduct a small human trial of the technique, with results expected at the end of this year.
Hypertension is referred to by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the world’s biggest silent killers because most people who have it cannot feel or see it. It affects around one in three people worldwide and can cause stroke, heart attack and kidney failure.
After diagnosis, treatment of high blood pressure needs to be lifelong and many patients are able to manage their condition with anti-hypertension drugs. But experts say that for around 1 in 50 of them, medication does not help.
Julian Paton, who led this latest study at Bristol’s school of physiology and pharmacology, said while scientists already knew of a link between the carotid organs and hypertension, until now, they ‘had absolutely no idea that they contributed so massively to the generation of high blood pressure.’
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2013.