A new study from The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences has shown gut bacteria can reduce the effectiveness of certain blood pressure drugs.
The research, published this month in the journal Hypertension, offers the first clues to what has been an elusive mystery — why do some people not respond well to medication?
“High blood pressure is often called a silent killer because it doesn’t usually cause symptoms. However, there is a big population of individuals who know they have hypertension but still cannot get it under control, even though they’re taking blood pressure drugs,” said Dr. Tao Yang, an assistant professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and the study’s first and lead author. “Addressing this is of huge clinical importance.”
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, two of the leading causes of death in America. It’s also one of the most common chronic conditions in the United States, with nearly half of U.S. adults considered hypertensive under current guidelines.
Among those with high blood pressure, an estimated 20% have what’s known as resistant hypertension, meaning their blood pressure remains high despite aggressive treatment.
“The only thing doctors can really do in these patients is adding or switching medications and increasing the dose with the hope they can find something that works,” Yang said. “Until now, we haven’t had any clear indication what the mechanism is for resistant hypertension. Our research could provide a first step toward identifying new ways to effectively overcome treatment-resistant hypertension.”
In recent years researchers have more intently examined the link between an individual’s blood pressure readings and the unique collection of bacteria that lives in their gut.
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