Your blood pressure could be dangerous even when your numbers look normal

Researchers have discovered a small group of brain cells that prevents dangerous blood pressure swings, even when average readings appear normal. The finding reveals a hidden source of cardiovascular risk and could open the door to new treatments that protect the heart and brain. Blood pressure readings are typically evaluated based on their average values, but growing evidence suggests that fluctuations throughout the day may be equally important. Rapid or excessive changes in blood pressure can independently increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and brain injury, even when average readings fall within the normal range. Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified a small population of nerve cells in the brainstem that helps maintain steady blood pressure.

The brainstem regulates essential involuntary functions, and these newly studied cells appear to limit blood pressure swings as people move between everyday activities, including sleeping, waking, standing, and exercising. "What we found is that a loss of just a few hundred nerve cells leads to unstable blood pressure even though the mean blood pressure was normal," said UVA's Stephen Abbott, PhD, the lead investigator of the study. "This shows that the system that keeps blood pressure steady from moment to moment is no longer working." The same nerve cells have previously been found to