U#3888_MH_ResearchReport (S)
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Monash Health<br />
Dr Jun Yang, Hudson Institute Research Group Head and Monash Health consultant endocrinologist and patient,<br />
David Den. Photo courtesy of Hudson Institute of Medical Research<br />
Sharing scientific and clinical<br />
expertise – saving lives<br />
A new Monash Health clinic led by<br />
Hudson Institute clinician-researchers<br />
is making phenomenal progress in<br />
the prevention of heart attacks and<br />
strokes through research that could<br />
inform new screening guidelines for<br />
high blood pressure, also known as<br />
hypertension.<br />
Dr Jun Yang, a Hudson Institute<br />
researcher and consultant<br />
endocrinologist at Monash Health, set<br />
up the Endocrine Hypertension clinic<br />
at Monash Health in 2016 to help<br />
patients with primary aldosteronism<br />
(PA), a disorder caused by the overproduction<br />
of the hormone aldosterone<br />
leading to high blood pressure.<br />
PA is often misdiagnosed as essential<br />
hypertension of unknown cause.<br />
While it is thought to affect one in ten<br />
hypertensive patients, currently less<br />
than one in a hundred are actually<br />
diagnosed. Crucially, the treatment<br />
for PA and essential hypertension<br />
are completely different. This means<br />
misdiagnosed PA patients aren’t<br />
getting the appropriate medication,<br />
leaving them at greater risk of stroke<br />
and heart attack.<br />
As a result of the introduction of Dr<br />
Yang’s new PA guidelines, in 2017 more<br />
than 60 patients were diagnosed and<br />
successfully treated for PA at Monash<br />
Health compared with just three<br />
in 2012. With these new guidelines<br />
in place, the clinic is capturing and<br />
treating a previously undiagnosed<br />
portion of hypertensive patients.<br />
In recognition of their growing<br />
impact, the team has been awarded<br />
philanthropic funding in 2017 from<br />
the Heart Foundation, Collier<br />
Charitable Fund, CASS Foundation and<br />
Foundation for High Blood Pressure<br />
Research to start Australia’s largest PA<br />
study. With the objective of preventing<br />
heart attack and stroke, the study will<br />
aim to confirm exactly how common<br />
PA is in the community by asking GPs<br />
to screen hypertensive patients for PA<br />
using a simple blood test.<br />
“Patients will be identified<br />
at an early stage and<br />
given targeted treatment<br />
to effectively manage the<br />
condition and prevent<br />
further cardiovascular<br />
damage,” says Dr Yang.<br />
The team is hopeful that the project<br />
will lead to new hypertension<br />
management guidelines in GP clinics<br />
across Australia, so that more patients<br />
can benefit from early detection and<br />
treatment.<br />
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