VACCINE: FOR HYPERTENSION

Are you among those people who forget to take their pills because of their busy schedule or a long prescription list?

Or among those who are not able to take their pills themselves?

So here is a news, in your favour

According to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension scientists have developed a new DNA vaccine that may lower blood pressure for up to 6 months.

 According to study co-author Hironori Nakagami, MD PhD, a professor at Osaka University in Japan “This is the first report of a DNA vaccine for hypertension in animal experiments”

This study is done in rats and this vaccine has proven effective in controlling high blood pressure in lab rats for up to six months, according to new research published May 26 in the journal Hypertension.

Researchers have designed a DNA vaccine that targets angiotension II ― a hormone that raises blood pressure by causing blood vessels to constrict. This narrowing can increase your blood pressure and force your heart to work harder.

In the study, researchers immunized hypertensive rats three times at two-week intervals with needleless injections. The vaccine not only lowered blood pressure for up to six months, but also reduced tissue damage to the heart and blood vessels associated with hypertension. There were no signs of damage to other organs such as the kidney or liver.

The DNA vaccine works similar to common ACE inhibitor blood pressure medications which help blood vessels relax and open up, which, in turn, lowers blood pressure. Other types of vaccines have been tested for hypertension (e.g. a peptide vaccine), but didn't have lasting effects and some had undesirable side effects.

Despite of the fact that this study is been done on rats, and such studies involving animals often fail to produce similar results in humans the research group hopes to have a version of the vaccine ready for human clinical trials within two or three years.

The ultimate goal of an anti-hypertensive vaccine is to achieve perfect blood pressure control by improving drug compliance through the vaccine. In addition, in the developing countries like Africa and south Asia, anti-hypertensive drugs such as ARB (angiotensin receptor blockade) are expensive. A DNA vaccine may provide cheaper and effective anti-hypertensive treatments in such countries, researchers said

"The potential of a vaccine for hypertension offers an innovative treatment that could be very effective for the control of noncompliance, which is one of the major problems in the management of hypertensive patients

 Drug compliance describes the degree to which a patient correctly follows medical advice.

Researchers suspect that humans likely would need booster shots once or twice a year to maintain the vaccine's effect,

So it would be a great help to the people on daily doses for hypertension or who need assistance for drug intake.

High blood pressure (BP) is ranked as the third most important risk factor for attributable burden of disease in south Asia. About 33% urban and 25% rural Indians are hypertensive

About 70 million Americans have high blood pressure, which amounts to one in every three adults, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And only about half of them have their condition under control.

Well according to me development of this vaccine would be 

beneficial, but as it would require another 2-3 years then

whether this vaccine would be a great opinion or not would 

be a big question.

 As according to Dr. Ernesto Schiffrin, vice chair of research at McGill University's department of medicine in Montreal, Canada as of now about 85 percent of high blood pressure patients, now can be treated using available medications, which leaves a significant minority that could be helped with this vaccine.

 Nakagami admits that further research is needed to improve longevity of the vaccine’s effect..

Although goal of this research is clear ie to create a single 

shot that will achieve perfect blood pressure control by 

improving medication compliance.

Few questions are still to be answered like how effective the vaccine would be? will their be any side effects? .