A group of doctors from the UK managed to develop a test that will help diagnose one of the most common curable causes of high blood pressure. It's about the so-called Conn syndrome - a type of adrenal disease.

It is believed that in one of twenty cases high blood pressure develops against the background of this syndrome. However, until now to confirm the fact that the pressure in patients is increased precisely in connection with this disease, it was quite difficult, because it required a series of complex tests on blood taken from a vein.

However, now experts from Cambridge University managed to find an alternative way to diagnose this phenomenon. It is based on the most common scan of the adrenal gland, the purpose of which is to detect a small growth - a diameter of just a few centimeters - of adenoma, because of which the blood pressure actually increases in patients. This growth is a benign tumor that is very common in people with Connes syndrome, and contains a large amount of the aldosterone hormone, which has a huge impact on the increase in blood pressure. If, as a result of scanning, such a built-up edge is not found, the reasons for the growth of pressure indicators lie in something else.

However, if such a growth is detected, the patient's condition can be quickly improved by surgical intervention - removal of this build-up, or by using special drugs that block the action of aldosterone.

Scientists also created a special indicator - called 11C-metomidate, which helps to recognize the adenoma during scanning. According to experts, this test is of special value for elderly patients, since high blood pressure is fraught with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, especially after 60 years. As the authors of the study note, their methodology is fairly simple to put into practice, in connection with which very soon thousands of patients will receive proper treatment of high blood pressure.

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