Do you take blood pressure medications for hypertension? Thanks to a new surgery that treats hypertension using ultrasound, you may be able to reduce the number of pills you take in the future.
Decreasing hypertension with ultrasound
In the minimally invasive surgery, doctors target nerves leading to the kidneys using ultrasound. The surgery uses a local anesthetic and only takes about one hour. A device that emits ultrasound waves is inserted through a catheter in the groin. The device reaches up into the artery of a kidney, heating up the ultrasound waves in order to damage some of the nerve fibers around the artery. The procedure works by decreasing activity in the nerves that connect the kidneys and the brain; an intricate system of nerves that can become overactive. This renal denervation helps regulate blood pressure by decreasing the signals that are carried between the brain and kidneys.
The randomized, controlled trial used the above-mentioned surgery and a fake surgery to ensure the patients didn’t know which they had received.
Six months after the surgery for hypertension, the study participants had maintained lower blood pressure. Even those who did need to resume their blood pressure medication required fewer drugs at lower doses.
The results of the study were published in the journal Circulation.
Hypertension around the world
Also known as “high blood pressure,” hypertension is a growing problem around the world. According to MedicalNewsToday.com, the number of adults with hypertension rose from 594 million in 1975 to 1.13 billion in 2015.
Although some people can control their blood pressure with diet and exercise, others need to take blood pressure medication. Unfortunately, even with these modifications and additions, some adults still have trouble controlling their blood pressure.
High blood pressure can be dangerous—even deadly. It can raise the risk of heart disease, heart failure and other medical conditions.
