People with chronic kidney disease often struggle to keep their blood pressure under control.
One reason is the hormone aldosterone, which regulates the body’s salt and fluid balance.
When levels become too high, the body can retain fluid, causing blood pressure to rise.
According to SciTechDaily, this can lead to serious complications such as heart failure, blood clots, and kidney failure.
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A new drug
A clinical study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology included 195 patients with chronic kidney disease and high blood pressure.
All participants were already taking standard blood pressure medication, but their blood pressure remained too high.
The new drug that researchers wanted to investigate is called baxdrostat and was developed to reduce the production of aldosterone.
Researchers compared baxdrostat with a placebo over a period of 26 weeks.
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The results showed that patients taking baxdrostat experienced a greater reduction in blood pressure than those receiving the placebo.
Researchers also found lower levels of the protein albumin in the urine of patients treated with the medication. High levels of albumin can be a sign of kidney damage.
More trials underway
However, the treatment also caused side effects. Several patients developed elevated potassium levels in the blood, which can be dangerous if the levels become too high.
The drug has not yet been approved, but larger studies are now underway.
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Researchers will investigate whether baxdrostat can also slow the progression of kidney failure and serious cardiovascular disease.
Sources: SciTechDaily and the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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