Washington, March 11: In a major breakthrough which could help treat life-threatening blood infections, scientists have discovered a new way to control blood pressure.
The control of blood pressure is central to people’s wellbeing. While hypertension leads to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke and kidney failure in many cases, low blood pressure can be life threatening at times.
Now, an international team, led by Prof Roland Stocker of Sydney University, has discovered a new regulatory pathway in blood vessels that affects blood pressure, and unlocked the secret of how it works.
“Excitingly, the new pathway is particularly effective in conditions where presently known pathways fail.
Our discovery is likely relevant to human sepsis where blood pressure control remains a major problem,” Prof Stocker said.
This discovery is significant because it potentially opens up a whole new method of treating various blood pressure conditions.
By manipulating the operation of this regulatory pathway, doctors may in the future be able to save lives by using novel drugs to control the relaxation of blood vessels in those suffering from severe infections and disease, say the scientists.
—-PTI