New hypertension treatment unveiled..

South Africa has inaugurated a new technology and treatment for highly resistant hypertension patients at
Chris Hani Academic Hospital’s Cardiology Unit in Johannesburg.




The initiative, known as Renal Denervation, is the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa.
A cardiologist at the hospital, Dr Chris Zambarkide, said three patients with highly resistant hypertension have passed through the procedure at the hospital. The procedure, he said, was shown to be effective, safe and durable.
"With renal denervation, we will be able to do extra for patients in order to control their blood pressure, thereby decreasing their risk of serious complications, including death.
"Patients with resistant hypertension experience high blood pressure, despite being on different classes of anti-hypertensive drugs.
"Treatment options in these patients are largely limited to increase the dosage or the number of anti-hypertensive drugs, often leading to unwanted side effects," Zambakide said.
He said renal denervation procedure was not a first-line therapy, saying," it was currently only used in patients who met the criteria and were highly resistant."
He described hypertension as a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing and developed countries.
"Epidemiological studies have shown that there are large percentages of hypertensive patients that are not diagnosed. Even more alarming is that less than 50 per cent are treated to target blood pressure levels,’’ he said.
The renal denervation is a procedure whereby the renal nerves are disrupted using radio frequency. This procedure involves a guiding catheter being inserted via the groin into the femoral artery; the guiding catheter is then advanced up to the aorta and the renal arteries. 

Culled- The Nation