Key points from article :
Doctors in the UK have developed a new treatment that could cure high blood pressure in people with primary aldosteronism, a condition affecting one in 20 hypertension cases. This condition occurs when small nodules on the adrenal glands cause excess salt retention, increasing the risk of strokes and heart attacks. Standard treatments involve lifelong medication or surgery, but many patients struggle with side effects or do not respond well to drugs.
The new procedure, called targeted thermal therapy (TTT) or endoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation, uses short bursts of intense heat from a needle to destroy the nodules. It takes only 20 minutes under sedation, allowing patients to return home the same day, unlike traditional surgery, which requires a longer hospital stay. Doctors from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), Barts Health NHS Trust, University College London Hospitals, and Cambridge University developed this technique.
A small trial involving 28 patients, published in The Lancet, showed promising results. Four patients completely stopped taking medication, 12 significantly improved their blood pressure, and three-quarters of participants had a reduction in aldosterone production. Encouraged by this success, researchers have begun a larger trial with 110 patients to assess the long-term effectiveness of TTT.
This technique could transform treatment for high blood pressure by eliminating the need for lifelong medication or organ removal. He noted that patients experienced a dramatic improvement in their blood pressure within a day of the procedure.
Dr. Pauline Swift, chair of Blood Pressure UK, called the results "very encouraging," highlighting that this minimally invasive approach appears both safe and effective. She stressed the importance of new treatments, as high blood pressure is often symptomless yet significantly increases the risk of life-threatening conditions like strokes and heart disease.
With ongoing trials, researchers hope that TTT could become a widely available solution for the hundreds of thousands of people suffering from treatment-resistant high blood pressure.
