A widely used drug could be the key to treating many patients with uncontrolled high blood pressure, particularly for patients with a common gene variant, according to new research led by the University of Glasgow and published in the journal Hypertension . In the British Heart Foundation (BHF) study, people with high blood pressure who had two copies of the variation experienced a 5% reduction in their average blood pressure after taking the drug torasemide for 16 weeks. The researchers say this change is likely to produce a substantial improvement in patients' long-term cardiovascular health.
Torasemide is a drug used to treat fluid overload caused by many conditions, including heart failure, kidney disease and liver disease. Until now, loop diuretics like torasemide have not been commonly used to treat high blood pressure. Patients with two copies of a common variation of the gene uromodulin—found in approximately two thirds of the population—saw a greater and more sustained fall in their blood pressure than patients with one or no copies.
Previous research has linked this genetic variation to an increased risk of high blood pressure. At least 11 million people in the U.K.
have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, and although most receive effective treatment, blood pressure remains above healthy levels for as many as 3 million of them. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension , is linked to half of all heart and strokes in the UK and is estimated to cost th.