Wave good-bye to high blood pressure?

Do you have uncontrolled high blood pressure? Is your doctor at the end of his or her tether, trying to find new ways to get those readings down? Barts hospital may be able to help: read on.

Nearly one third of adults in London have high blood pressure – but the new treatment is targeted at the 4% of adults whose blood pressure is not being controlled by medication and who are, therefore, at high risk of have a stroke or a heart attack.

The theory is that the nerves around the kidneys produce adrenalin: some of them become over-active. While some bodies can cope with ordinary levels of adrenalin, this hormone can stoke high blood pressure. The treatment, renal denervation (RDN), seeks to stop those naughty little nerves producing adrenalin – allowing the patient’s blood pressure to fall.

The new treatment uses ultrasound: first to pinpoint the nerves, and then to treat them, in a process which only takes about an hour. As it is non-invasive, it can be done under local anaesthetic or sedation, so the patient is up and away the same day.

Worldwide trials have suggested that the treatment can help 75% of sufferers. The trials at Barts offer quick access to the new treatment for East Londoners with uncontrolled blood pressure – it’s not often we’re first in the queue! They are also important, because if they repeat positive results seen elsewhere in the world, the treatment could be rolled out across the UK – saving the NHS money on its drugs bill and saving the lives of many patients a year.

The treatment trials are going on this summer. It is a randomised clinical trial known as WAVE IV, run by Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust.

To be eligible to take part in the trial, you must be:
•aged 18 to 90;
•have a systolic blood pressure (top number) greater than 160 mmHg;
•be currently taking three or more prescription medications for high blood pressure.

If you fulfil these conditions, ring Anne Zak at the William Harvey Heart Centre Clinical Trials Unit on 020-7882 5657 to find how to get involved. You may need to visit your GP for a referral to the programme.

Dr Melvin Lobo, Director of the Barts Blood Pressure Clinic, is leading the study at Queen Mary and will offer the new procedure to patients. He explained: “The procedure we’re trialling is a hugely exciting and entirely unique concept. We believe this non-invasive ultrasound treatment is a promising new approach that deserves further study in controlled clinical trials, where the safety of patients is of paramount importance. We believe targeting the kidney nerves will prove to be an important way of managing high blood pressure in the future for some patients.”

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