Researchers at Saratov State University (SSU) have developed a method for detecting hypertension and certain heart diseases before symptoms appear. The technique enables a rapid, non-invasive assessment of the system that regulates blood pressure. The results were published in The European Physical Journal Special Topics.
The autonomic regulation of blood flow helps the body react to unusual situations: for example, standing up abruptly may cause temporary darkening of vision, while after eating one may feel relaxed or even sleepy. This mechanism redistributes blood flow by raising or lowering blood pressure, explained scientists from Saratov National Research State University named after N.G. Chernyshevsky.
“Every person has unique features of the autonomic regulation system. For instance, on average, it takes 3–4 seconds from the moment a person gets frightened to the release of norepinephrine and a rise in blood pressure. Some react slightly faster, others slower. These traits are innate, like foot size or eye color,” said Yuri Ishbulatov, Associate Professor at the Department of Dynamic Modeling and Biomedical Engineering at SSU.
Disruptions in this system may lead to arterial hypertension and other disorders that significantly affect quality of life, the university noted. Until now, detecting such diseases before symptoms appear has been possible only through surgical intervention, since the regulatory system is located in the spinal cord and medulla oblongata, Ishbulatov explained.
SSU specialists have developed a method that makes it possible to assess blood-pressure regulation parameters non-invasively, without surgery. It can be used during an initial medical consultation to help physicians evaluate the risk of heart and vascular conditions.
“People with impaired autonomic regulation may faint when moving to a vertical position but quickly regain consciousness once they are laid down. The effect of such a test on regulatory parameters is well studied, and we confirmed that the parameters of our mathematical model change adequately during the experiment, in line with expectations,” Ishbulatov said.
The method is based on the orthostatic test, which is widely used to assess autonomic regulation. During the experiment, a volunteer is fastened to a special bed that slowly lifts them from a lying to a standing position, the researcher explained.
“The orthostatic test does not influence all regulatory parameters, but the remaining ones can be adjusted with medications used to treat circulatory system disorders. This means the method can also be tested on patient data before and after such therapy,” he added.
The team plans to expand the mathematical model by incorporating additional information on patients with autonomic regulation disorders.
