Your blood pressure could be dangerous even when your numbers look normal
Researchers have discovered a small group of brain cells that prevents dangerous blood pressure swings, even when average readings appear normal. The finding reveals a hidden source of cardiovascular risk and could open the door to new treatments that protect the heart and brain.
Key points
- UVA researchers found brainstem nerve cells that keep blood pressure steady during daily activities.
- Losing just a few hundred of these cells caused unstable blood pressure despite normal averages.
- The cells are damaged or missing in people with multiple system atrophy, a rare fatal disorder.
Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified a small group of nerve cells in the brainstem that helps keep blood pressure steady. The team says losing these cells can cause unstable blood pressure even when average readings look normal.
The findings, published in Circulation Research, suggest that rapid or excessive swings in blood pressure may raise the risk of heart disease, stroke and brain injury independently of average values. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health through grant HL148004.
What the lead investigator said
Stephen Abbott, PhD, the lead investigator, said the loss of only a few hundred nerve cells produced unstable blood pressure while mean blood pressure stayed normal. He said this shows the system that keeps blood pressure steady from moment to moment is no longer working.
Abbott said the work offers a new way to think about blood pressure problems, adding that it is not only about lowering the numbers but about keeping blood pressure stable from moment to moment.
What we found is that a loss of just a few hundred nerve cells leads to unstable blood pressure even though the mean blood pressure was normal
— Stephen Abbott, PhD
Possible links to other conditions
The same cells have previously been found damaged or missing in people with multiple system atrophy, a rare, fatal neurological disorder related to Parkinson's disease that often brings severe blood pressure regulation problems. The researchers say disruptions involving these cells may also contribute to unstable blood pressure in other conditions where standard measurements show normal averages.
The research team included George M.P.R. Souza, Harsha Thakkalapally, Faye E. Berry, Leah F. Wisniewski, Ulrich M. Atongazi, Daniel S. Stornetta and Abbott. The researchers reported no financial interests related to the study.
