High blood pressure linked to brain: Study

LONDON - THE brain, not the heart, is responsible for high blood pressure, according to a study by British researchers.

The scientists say that hypertension, which can lead to heart attacks, strokes and kidney damage, is an inflammatory vascular disease of the brain rather than the heart, as previously thought.

They have found that a protein in the brain - Jam-1 - traps white blood cells, which can then cause inflammation and obstruct blood flow, leading to poor oxygen supply to the brain.

Professor Julian Paton of Bristol University said the findings could lead to new ways of treating the problem.

'We are looking at the possibility of treating those patients that fail to respond to conventional therapy for hypertension with drugs that reduce blood vessel inflammation and increase blood flow within the brain,' he said.

'The challenge will be to understand the type of inflammation within the vessels in the brain, so we know what drug to use.

'Jam-1 could provide us with new clues as to how to deal with this disease.'

Conventional treatment for reducing high blood pressure includes eating low-fat food, reducing salt intake and regular exercise.

The British Heart Foundation's associate medical director, Mr Jeremy Pearson, said: 'This exciting study is important because it suggests there are unexpected causes of high blood pressure related to blood supply to the brain.

'It therefore opens up the possibility of new ways to treat this common, but often poorly managed, condition.'

About one in three people in Britain and more than 600million people worldwide are thought to suffer from hypertension.

The findings will be published in the next edition of the medical journal Hypertension.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE