Size is everything when it comes to high blood pressure

The size of a grain of rice, the carotid body, located between two major arteries that feed the brain with blood, has been found to control your blood pressure. A team of clinical scientists at the University of Bristol have found a new way to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). The research study, entitled "Unilateral carotid body resection in resistant hypertension: a safety and feasibility trial ," was led by Professor Julian Paton at the University of Bristol, and Dr Angus Nightingale (Cardiology Consultant) at the Bristol Heart Institute , Bristol, and was published recently in the Journal of American College of Cardiology: Basic to Translational Science. The research indicates that the carotid bodies appear to be a cause of high blood pressure, and as such now offer a new target for treatment. The clinical team have shown that removing one carotid body from some patients with high blood pressure caused an immediate and sustained fall in blood pressure. Dr Nightingale said: "The falls in blood pressure we have seen are impressive - more than you would see with pharmacological medication - and demonstrate the exciting potential there now is for targeting the carotid body to treat hypertension." The carotid bodies "sniff" the levels of oxygen in blood, and when this falls they raise the alarm of a potential emergency by signaling to the brain to increase breathing and blood pressure. The effect is similar to having the thermostat in your home set too high all the time.