Scientists find new hope against persistent high blood pressure
The need for a better solution
Hypertension is a major health problem affecting millions of people. It can lead to serious illnesses such as strokes, heart attacks and kidney failure.
The cause of high blood pressure is often a mystery, so patients are dependent on medication for life.
However, some people find that even multiple medications do not adequately lower their blood pressure. That’s where baxdrostat comes in, a new drug that’s showing promise for these hard-to-treat cases.
How the study was conducted
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London and CinCor Pharma in the US have partnered for a 12-week study involving 248 patients.
These patients were already taking at least three blood pressure medications, but their numbers remained high. The aim of the study was to find out if adding baxdrostat could make a difference.
The patients were divided into groups. Each group received a different dose of baxdrostat or a placebo (a drug-free pill) in addition to their existing medication.
The highest dose of baxdrostat resulted in an impressive 20-point drop in blood pressure. That’s 11 points higher than the placebo group, a difference considered significant.
The Science Behind Baxdrostat
Baxdrostat works by targeting a specific hormone called aldosterone, which controls how much salt our body stores.
Too much aldosterone can cause our body to store too much salt, which can increase blood pressure.
In this study, baxdrostat successfully reduced aldosterone levels in patients’ blood and urine samples.
One of the challenges in developing this drug was making sure it only affected aldosterone and didn’t interfere with another important hormone, cortisol.
Fortunately, the researchers have succeeded in making baxdrostat very specific in its effect.
What does that mean for patients?
Professor Morris Brown, who has been researching this drug for over a decade, says the results are promising.
Although more studies are needed, baxdrostat could be a game changer for many people who have failed with conventional treatments.
This is especially true in 5 to 10% of people with high blood pressure, which is caused by adrenal disease and leads to overproduction of aldosterone. More than 500,000 people could be affected in the UK alone.
Go forward
While these early results are exciting, more research is needed before baxdrostat can be considered as the drug of choice for high blood pressure.
Still, there is hope for those who are struggling to manage their disease with currently available drugs.
If you’re interested in keeping your blood pressure under control, stay tuned to learn more about lifestyle choices that might be affecting blood pressure and foods that might help.
Studies have also shown that a healthy diet and antioxidants can benefit not only your blood pressure but your overall brain health.
The details of this study were discussed at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions conference and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies on how common pain relievers can damage your blood pressure and common high blood pressure medications can actually increase blood pressure.
For more information on blood pressure control, see recent studies on teas that may help lower high blood pressure. The results show that this recommended drug for high blood pressure can have dangerous side effects.
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