Surgery could cure high blood pressure

Scientists have developed a new operation which they believe could offer a cure to a certain type of hypertension (high blood pressure).

The revolutionary treatment takes less than an hour to complete and allows sufferers to give up the medication they would otherwise be required to take.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the operation involves placing small burns on a nerve that leads to high blood pressure in many people.

Not only is the procedure relatively cheap, but it could also reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

As many as 15 million people in Britain suffer from hypertension, a large number of whom are unaware they have the condition.

Dr Mel Lobo, a blood pressure specialist at Barts and the London NHS Trust, told the newspaper: "This is the most exciting development in hypertension since the advent of anti-hypertensive medication 50 years ago."

According to the British Heart Foundation, high blood pressure is caused by inactivity, being overweight, eating too much salt, drinking large quantities of alcohol, poor diet and genetic factors.

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