Doctors at Queen Mary University and Barts Hospital in London and Cambridge University Hospital have led a study to use a new type of CT scan to illuminate tiny nodules in hormone glands and remove them to cure high blood pressure. Nodules are found in her 1 in 20 with hypertension.
Published today natural medicinethis study solves a 60-year problem of how to detect hormone-producing nodules without difficult catheter studies that are only available in a handful of hospitals and often fail. , the scan also found a group of patients who stopped all blood pressure medications after treatment.
128 people took part in a new scan study in which doctors found that their high blood pressure (hypertension) was caused by the steroid hormone aldosterone. 2, it was found to originate from only one benign nodule in the adrenal gland. It can be safely removed. This scan uses a very short-acting dose of metomidate, a radioactive dye that adheres only to aldosterone-producing nodules. The scan was as accurate as the old catheterization, but it was quick, painless, and technically successful in all patients. could not be predicted. In contrast, a combination of “hot nodules” on scan and urinary steroid testing detected 18 of her 24 patients who achieved normal blood pressure on all medications.
The study, which included patients from Barts Hospital, Cambridge University Hospital, Guy’s and St. Thomas, and the Universities of Glasgow and Birmingham, was funded by a partnership between the National Institutes of Health and Medical Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC). it was done. Barts Charity, British Heart Foundation.
Professor Morris Brown, co-first author of the study and professor of endocrine hypertension at Queen Mary University of London, said:: “These aldosterone-producing nodules are so small that they are often missed on a routine CT scan. When they glow for a few minutes after the injection, they reveal an obvious cause of hypertension and are often cured. So far.” , 99% of people were never diagnosed because testing was difficult and unavailable.I hope this is about to change.”
Professor William Drake, co-first author of the study and Professor of Clinical Endocrinology at Queen Mary University of London, said:: “This research is the result of many years of hard work and collaboration between centers across the UK. Brought to you by talented researchers who selflessly devoted their time and energy. The future of research in this area is in very safe hands. “
In most people with hypertension (high blood pressure), the cause is unknown, and the condition requires lifelong drug treatment. A previous study by a group at Queen Mary University found that in 5-10% of his hypertensive patients, the cause was a genetic mutation in the adrenal glands that produced excessive amounts of the steroid hormone aldosterone. . Aldosterone causes the body to retain salt and raises blood pressure. Patients with excessive blood aldosterone levels are resistant to treatment with commonly used antihypertensive drugs and are at increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Original: A 10-minute scan enables detection and treatment of the most common causes of high blood pressure
Than: Queen Mary University of London | St Bartholomew’s Hospital | University of Cambridge
