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Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects millions of adults in the United States and is often silent until serious health issues arise. If not well-managed, it can lead to heart damage and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, which are leading causes of death in the country.
In 2020, hypertension was linked to over 670,000 deaths in the United States. Many adults struggle to control their blood pressure, indicating a significant public health issue.
A team at the University of Virginia has discovered a key element that contributes to hypertension, offering hope for better treatment methods.
To understand their findings, it's important to know that blood vessel cells use calcium to manage contraction and relaxation, which is vital for maintaining normal blood pressure levels.
Doctors often prescribe calcium channel blockers to manage hypertension. These medications limit calcium intake into blood vessel cells, helping to lower blood pressure. However, they can affect other organs and functions, leading to potential side effects.
The goal is to find a way to reduce calcium's negative effects on blood pressure while preserving its beneficial roles in the body.
The Virginia researchers made a significant discovery by identifying two tiny structures in blood vessel cells, called "nanodomains." These nanodomains act like conductors, signaling blood vessels to constrict or dilate.
When functioning properly, nanodomains are crucial for regulating blood pressure. However, in experiments with mice and studies of people with hypertension, researchers found that these nanodomains become imbalanced, leading to excessive blood vessel tightening and high blood pressure.
This discovery is groundbreaking because it provides new insights into how our bodies regulate blood pressure. By focusing on nanodomains, researchers may develop therapies that address the root causes of hypertension, not just the symptoms.
These treatments could potentially reduce side effects from current medications. However, more research is needed to fully understand the nanodomains' function and their potential in improving therapies.
The findings, published in the journal Circulation, suggest new possibilities for treating hypertension more precisely and effectively. This could be crucial for the nearly half of American adults with hypertension.
Researchers are focusing on nanodomains that regulate calcium in blood vessels to develop more precise and safer treatments. This discovery is a significant step forward in combating hypertension and its detrimental health effects.
If you're concerned about high blood pressure, consider reading studies on how early time-restricted eating could improve blood pressure, and how natural coconut sugar could reduce blood pressure and artery stiffness.
For more on blood pressure, see recent studies about the link between added sugar in your diet and higher blood pressure, and how vitamin D could improve blood pressure in people with diabetes.
