00:00A hidden hormone problem could be behind millions of high blood pressure cases,
00:04and doctors have been missing it. Researchers from the University of Bristol,
00:08working with teams in Bergen, Stockholm, and Athens, used a wearable device to uncover
00:13previously hidden hormone patterns tied to a condition called primary aldosteronism.
00:19It's a treatable disorder that may affect as many as one in five people with high blood pressure,
00:24caused by the adrenal glands producing too much of a hormone that disrupts the body's salt and
00:29water balance. In the study, 60 patients wore a lightweight device that measured hormone levels
00:35every 20 minutes across a full day and night. Researchers found brief surges in hormone activity
00:41happening both while patients were awake and while they slept, activity that standard blood tests
00:46almost never catch since they're rarely run overnight. Scientists say this wearable approach
00:51could revolutionize how hypertension gets diagnosed, catching a common and treatable cause of high
00:56blood pressure that routine testing has been missing for years. Disclosure, this video contains stock
01:02footage and content created or enhanced using AI-assisted tools.
