It’s hard to believe, but a tiny organ in your neck, about the size of a grain of rice, may be one of the key reasons why some people have high blood pressure. This small structure is called the carotid body, and it sits between two major arteries that carry blood to your brain.
Scientists at the University of Bristol have now discovered that this tiny organ plays a big role in controlling blood pressure — and they may have found a way to treat hypertension by targeting it.
### Breakthrough Study on Resistant High Blood Pressure
The study, published in the *Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Basic to Translational Science*, was led by Professor Julian Paton and Dr. Angus Nightingale. Their clinical trial tested a new treatment for people with resistant high blood pressure — a condition where medications don’t help enough.
The treatment involved removing just one of the two carotid bodies, and the results were surprising: patients’ blood pressure dropped immediately and stayed low.
Dr. Nightingale explained that the drop in blood pressure was even more impressive than what doctors usually see with medication. This suggests the carotid body might be one of the main reasons why blood pressure rises in some people — and that treating it directly could help those who haven’t responded to standard treatments.
### What Does the Carotid Body Do?
The carotid body acts like an internal sensor that monitors oxygen levels in your blood. If oxygen levels drop, it sends a message to your brain to increase breathing and raise your blood pressure to improve oxygen delivery.
This response is helpful during emergencies. But in people with an overactive carotid body, it’s like having a thermostat stuck too high — the system is constantly trying to increase blood pressure, even when it’s not needed.
### A New Direction in Treating High Blood Pressure
Professor Paton noted that most current treatments for high blood pressure focus on symptoms, targeting the heart, kidneys, or blood vessels. However, this new approach is different — it targets the root cause.
Even better, the research team has developed special tests to identify which patients have overactive carotid bodies. This enables doctors to offer personalized treatment to the people most likely to benefit.
In their trial, patients who responded best to carotid body removal showed signs of overactivity: they breathed more at rest and reacted strongly when oxygen levels were slightly lowered. These individuals experienced the biggest improvements in blood pressure after surgery.
### The Global Impact of High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is a major global health problem and is the top risk factor for stroke, heart failure, and kidney disease. In the UK alone, it costs the health system about £2 billion every year and is often poorly controlled.
While the surgery showed promising results, researchers believe it’s not a long-term solution for everyone. Their current goal is to develop a drug that can calm down an overactive carotid body without the need for surgery.
### Promising Advances in Medication
Professor Paton’s team might already be on the right track. In a separate animal study, they found that a molecule called ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate) plays a role in the carotid body’s activity.
They discovered a receptor in the carotid body called P2X3 that responds to ATP. By blocking this receptor, they were able to reduce the alarm signals without shutting the system down completely.
This discovery could lead to the first truly new type of blood pressure medicine in over 15 years.
### Collaborative Effort
This breakthrough took nearly a decade of international collaboration, involving universities and hospitals in the UK, Poland, the USA, Brazil, and New Zealand, with support from the British Heart Foundation.
Thanks to this extensive work, scientists are closer than ever to offering a new, personalized way to treat high blood pressure — starting with the tiniest organ in the body.
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### Additional Reading on Blood Pressure
If you are interested in managing your blood pressure, consider exploring studies on the following topics:
– Why checking blood pressure while lying down is very important.
– How lowering the top blood pressure number to less than 120 mm Hg effectively prevents heart disease.
– The potential benefits of turmeric and vitamin D in boosting blood pressure control for people with type 2 diabetes.
– Research linking blood pressure medications with bowel diseases.
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*The study discussed is published in* JACC: Basic to Translational Science.
https://knowridge.com/2025/11/how-the-bodys-tiniest-organ-may-hold-the-key-to-lowering-blood-pressure/