Minimally invasive treatment could offer quick cure for common cause of high blood pressure

Doctors at Queen Mary University of London, Barts Health NHS Trust, and University College London have led the development of a simple, minimally invasive Targeted Thermal Therapy (Triple T) that has the potential to transform medical management of a common, but commonly overlooked, cause of high blood pressure.

This breakthrough, published today in The Lancet, could, after further testing, help millions of people worldwide who currently go undiagnosed and untreated.

In the UK, Triple T, known scientifically as endoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation, was rigorously tested, in collaboration with researchers from University College London, University College Hospital NHS Trust, Cambridge University NHS Trust, and the University of Cambridge.

A hidden cause of high blood pressure

High blood pressure affects one in three adults, of whom a hormonal condition called primary aldosteronism accounts for one in twenty cases. However, fewer than one percent of those affected are ever diagnosed.

The condition occurs when tiny benign nodules in one or both adrenal glands produce excess aldosterone, a hormone that raises blood pressure by increasing salt levels in the body. Patients with primary aldosteronism often do not respond well to standard blood pressure medications and face higher risks of heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure.

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