![]() ![]() The kidneys play a vital role in regulating blood pressure, releasing a hormone that interacts with other hormones in the body to cause blood vessels to contract. It is estimated that the blood pressure of more than half of all patients on medication is poorly controlled. The increased pressure also damages blood vessel walls, so they are prone to forming clots that can lead to a heart attack or stroke.Ĭhronic high blood pressure, or hypertension, affects one in five adults and is thought to be responsible for half of all heart attacks and strokes. Although blood pressure rises and falls over a day, if it remains high, it can put the heart under added strain. The higher the pressure, the harder the heart is working to pump blood. ‘It’s conceivable it could become a treatment option in the very near future,’ says Professor Mel Lobo, NHS professor of cardiovascular medicine and a blood pressure specialist at London and Bart’s Health NHS Trust, who has pioneered the use of the ultrasound therapy.īlood pressure is a measure of the force exerted on the walls of the arteries by blood flow. But it now plans to review that position after a wealth of new data on the therapy. Spending watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) previously ruled there was too little evidence to back its use. This reduces the amount of heartburn-causing acid that the stomach produces in the first place. Nexium contains a drug called esomeprazole, which is a proton pump inhibitor. Gaviscon contains the alkaline compounds calcium carbonate and sodium hydrogen carbonate, which neutralise stomach acid plus sodium alginate, which stops the content of the stomach seeping upwards. Researchers estimate that up to 75,000 people in the UK could potentially benefit from the treatment, known as renal denervation, if it gets the go-ahead on the NHS.īoth of these over-the-counter medications treat heartburn – the burning feeling in the chest caused by stomach acid travelling up towards the throat. More than a third of patients are able to stop taking blood pressure tablets altogether after the ultrasound treatment, while others are able to cut right back – reducing the risk of side effects ranging from diarrhoea and dizziness to headaches and fatigue.ĭoctors say the treatment lowers blood pressure to levels at which the risk of a heart attack or stroke is cut by a fifth – and trials so far show a single session works for at least three years. NICE ruled there was too little evidence to back use, but plans to review positionĪ radical new treatment for severe high blood pressure could slash sufferers’ risk of heart attacks and strokes. The one-off therapy, which takes about an hour, involves blasting nerves in the kidneys with sound waves to stop them sending signals to the brain that drive up blood pressure.Researchers estimate up to 75,000 in UK could benefit if it goes ahead on NHS.Over a third of patients are able to stop taking blood pressure tablets afterwards.The one-off therapy involves blasting nerves in the kidneys with sound waves. ![]() Radical new treatment involving a sonic blast could benefit up to 75,000 Britons who suffer from sky-high blood pressure, say researchers ![]()
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