PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Throat problems could impair autonomic nervous system's ability to regulate blood pressure

Research suggests problems at junction between air and food passages may ‘overwhelm’ the Vagus nerve

2024-09-11
(Press-News.org) Throat problems could impair autonomic nervous system's ability to regulate blood pressure Research suggests problems at junction between air and food passages may ‘overwhelm’ the Vagus nerve Patients with throat problems were less able to regulate their blood pressure in a new study led by the University of Southampton.

The study published in JAMA Otolaryngology is the first to observe reduced baroreflex sensitivity in patients with throat symptoms.

The baroreflex is a crucial part of the autonomic nervous system which detects changes in blood pressure and adjusts our heart rate and blood vessel tone accordingly to maintain stable blood pressure. It is what stops us from fainting when we stand up.

Researchers from the University of Southampton and University Hospitals of Dorset Foundation Trust believe the findings could be explained by the Vagas nerve (which controls the autonomic nervous system) prioritising protection of the airways over less urgent functions, such as blood pressure regulation.

“Our immediate survival depends on the throat being able to separate air and food passages each time we swallow,” says the lead author of the study Reza Nouraei, Professor of Laryngology and Clinical Informatics at the University of Southampton.  

“The throat does this using delicate reflexes, but when these reflexes are disturbed, for example, due to a viral infection like Covid or exposure to reflux affecting nerves in this region, the control of this critical junction becomes compromised, giving rise to symptoms like the feeling of a lump in the throat, throat clearing and coughing.

“To compensate for a faulty throat, the autonomic control system must expend significant amounts of energy to maintain a safe airway. We found that in patients with a faulty throat, the heart, specifically a function called baroreflex, is less well controlled. This is one of the Peters that has been robbed to pay Paul.

“The problem with robbing this Peter is that it likely impacts long-term survival, as patients with reduced baroreflex function are more likely to die of a heart attack or stroke in years to come.”

The researchers compared the heart rates, blood pressure and baroreflex sensitivity of 23 patients admitted to Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgery with aerodigestive (laryngopharyngeal) symptoms and 30 patients admitted to Gastroenterology with digestive (esophagogastric) symptoms at University Hospitals of Dorset NHS Foundation Trust.

Reflux was a common cause of symptoms in both groups - making up the majority of digestive group cases. Other causes like thinning of the vocal cord were present in the aerodigestive group.

The team found patients in the aerodigestive group had a higher resting heart rate, lower resting blood pressure, and lower baroreflex sensitivity, than those in the digestive group.

“Now, and especially since Covid which damages nerves, we are seeing more patients with throat symptoms,” says Professor Nouraei.  

“Reduced baroreflex sensitivity impacts survival independent of other cardiovascular risks, so if the association we’ve discovered is confirmed by future studies, the need to make timely and accurate diagnoses and provide early and definitive treatments will become more pressing.”

The study adds to the increasing interest in the Vaus nerve and holistic health. As well as regulating blood pressure through the baroreflex, the Vagus nerve controls our heart rate, digestion, respiration, mood and a host of other bodily functions which affect our health and wellbeing.

Professor Nouraei says: “This study helps us to think about patients more holistically. As a clinician, if you can fix a problem in the throat that is potentially taking away bandwidth from the Vagus, then it frees up the nerve to give to the rest of the body.

“If there is a chance that throat problems can affect functions like the baroreflex, or have a wider impact on overall wellbeing, then they need more consideration.”

The researchers will now look at the long-term impacts of throat conditions on autonomic health and the effects of treatment.

Baroreflex Sensitivity in Patients With Laryngopharyngeal Dysfunction—The Overwhelmed Vagus Hypothesis is published in JAMA Otolaryngology and is available online.

This work was supported by the Robert White Legacy Fund.

Ends

Contact

Steve Williams, Media Manager, University of Southampton, press@soton.ac.uk or 023 8059 3212.

Notes for editors

Baroreflex Sensitivity in Patients With Laryngopharyngeal Dysfunction— The Overwhelmed Vagus Hypothesis is published in JAMA Otolaryngology. A copy of the paper is available upon request. For Interviews with Professor Reza Nourae please contact Steve Williams, Media Manager, University of Southampton press@soton.ac.uk or 023 8059 3212. Additional information

The University of Southampton drives original thinking, turns knowledge into action and impact, and creates solutions to the world’s challenges. We are among the top 100 institutions globally (QS World University Rankings 2023). Our academics are leaders in their fields, forging links with high-profile international businesses and organisations, and inspiring a 22,000-strong community of exceptional students, from over 135 countries worldwide. Through our high-quality education, the University helps students on a journey of discovery to realise their potential and join our global network of over 200,000 alumni. www.southampton.ac.uk

www.southampton.ac.uk/news/contact-press-team.page

Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/UoSMedia

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Pandemic of homicide grief in global Black communities urgently needs a public health response

2024-09-11
The Centre for Research and Innovation for Black Survivors of Homicide Victims (The CRIB) is calling for decisive action to address the grief from homicide that is disproportionately affecting Black communities worldwide — and to tackle the root causes of homicide that impact this population. In a paper published in the journal Homicide Studies, University of Toronto social work professor Tanya Sharpe and colleagues argue that the prevalence and spread of homicide grief — the grief that follows the ...

How do human and dog interactions affect the brain?

2024-09-11
During social interactions, the activity of the brain’s neurons becomes synchronized between the individuals involved. New research published in Advanced Science reveals that such synchronization occurs between humans and dogs, with mutual gazing causing synchronization in the brain’s frontal region and petting causing synchronization in the parietal region. Both regions are associated with attention. The strength of this synchronization increased with growing familiarity of human–dog pairs over 5 days, and tests indicated that the human is the leader while ...

Can green finance effectively reduce carbon dioxide emissions while promoting economic growth?

2024-09-11
New research published in Business Strategy and the Environment based on information from G7 countries demonstrates that green finance—loans, investments, and incentives that support environmentally-friendly projects and activities—can reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Also, data indicate that investments in green projects are profitable. The study found that G7 countries' environmental conditions have been negatively impacted by economic development; however, there are advantages of green finance solutions for economic growth. The study’s investigators ...

Are there racial differences in the use of opioids after returning home from hospitalizations for hip fractures?

2024-09-11
In an analysis of information on 164,170 older adult Medicare beneficiaries who were hospitalized for hip fractures, a similar proportion of Black and white beneficiaries used opioids after they were discharged and returned to the community, but Black beneficiaries consistently received lower doses of the pain medications. In the study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, investigators observed that on average Black beneficiaries received the equivalent of around 250 fewer milligrams ...

Are long stems on flowers an adaptation that encourages bat pollination?

2024-09-11
Flowers that are pollinated by bats tend to have long stems that make them stand out from the surrounding foliage. New research published in New Phytologist reveals the evolutionary advantage that this characteristic provides to plants to ensure that they are discovered by bats. In simple backgrounds lacking foliage, bats showed no significant difference in the time it took them to find flowers with long versus short stems, but in complex backgrounds (with arrays of leaves and flowers), bats took nearly twice as much time to locate short-stemmed flowers. Investigators hypothesize that flowers located away from the surrounding foliage likely help bats to distinguish ...

New research provides insights into how the brain regenerates lost myelin

2024-09-11
The neurons of the brain are protected by an insulating layer called myelin. In certain diseases like multiple sclerosis, this protective layer is damaged and lost, leading to death of neurons and disability. New research published in The FEBS Journal reveals the importance of a protein called C1QL1 for promoting the replacement of the specialized cells that produce myelin. The findings could have important implications for the ongoing effort to develop new and improved therapies for the treatment of demyelinating diseases. In experiments conducted in mice, deleting the gene that codes for C1QL1 caused a delay in the rate at which oligodendrocytes ...

Cells that die during inflammation send wound-healing messages 

2024-09-11
Cells that die during inflammation send wound-healing messages  A study by the team of Prof. Kodi Ravichandran (VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research) and colleagues found that pyroptosis, a form of programmed cell death traditionally thought to be purely inflammatory, also plays a crucial role in promoting healing and tissue repair. This research, published in Nature, opens new avenues for understanding how our bodies respond to injury and could lead to innovative treatments for wounds and inflammatory diseases.  Dying cells  About a billion cells ...

Risk of secondary cancers after CAR T therapy may be similar to risk after other cancer treatments

2024-09-11
Bottom Line: The frequency of second primary malignancies (SPMs) arising in cancer survivors following treatment with CAR T-cell therapy was statistically comparable to the frequency of SPMs following other standard-of-care therapies, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal in Which the Study was Published: Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Author: Kai Rejeski, MD, a visiting investigator and research fellow in the Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Background: In January 2024, the U.S. Food and ...

Enhance and revise for better low-light image enhancement

Enhance and revise for better low-light image enhancement
2024-09-11
With the development of intelligent era, information captured in low-light environments has become increasingly vital. Low-light enhancement technology is now a significant research topic in the domain of machine vision. Designing a robust low-light enhancement algorithm can not only improve the contrast of images, but also restore color and texture details, so as to obtain more distinct and accurate low-light scene information. The team led by Prof. Danhua Cao from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), ...

Multiple ways to evolve tiny knee bone could have helped humans walk upright

2024-09-11
The evolution of bones in primates’ knees could have implications for how humans evolved to walk upright, a new study has found. Researchers from King’s College London analysed the presence of the lateral fabella, a bone in the knee the size of a sesame seed, in 93 different species of primates. They found that while most primates have these bones, they are often absent in hominoids, the group of primates that humans belong to alongside chimpanzees, gorillas, gibbons, and others. Yet ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Laser correction for short-sightedness is safe and effective for older teenagers

About one in five people taking Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro say food tastes saltier or sweeter than before

Taking semaglutide turns down food noise, research suggests

Type 2 diabetes may double risk of sepsis, large community-based study suggests

New quantum sensors can withstand extreme pressure

Tirzepatide more cost-effective than semaglutide in patients with knee osteoarthritis and obesity

GLP-1 drugs shown cost-effective for knee osteoarthritis and obesity

Interactive apps, AI chatbots promote playfulness, reduce privacy concerns

How NIL boosts college football’s competitive balance

Moffitt researchers develop machine learning model to predict urgent care visits for lung cancer patients

Construction secrets of honeybees: Study reveals how bees build hives in tricky spots

Wheat disease losses total $2.9 billion across the United States and Canada between 2018 and 2021

New funding fuels development of first potentially regenerative treatment for multiple sclerosis

NJIT student–faculty team wins best presentation award for ant swarm simulation

Ants defend plants from herbivores but can hinder pollination

When the wireless data runs dry

Inquiry into the history of science shows an early “inherence” bias

Picky eaters endure: Ecologists use DNA to explore diet breadth of wild herbivores

Study suggests most Americans would be healthier without daylight saving time

Increasing the level of the protein PI31 demonstrates neuroprotective effects in mice

Multi-energy X-ray curved surface imaging-with multi-layer in-situ grown scintillators

Metasurface enables compact and high-sensitivity atomic magnetometer

PFAS presence confirmed in the blood of children in Gipuzkoa

Why do people believe lies?

SwRI installs private 5G network for research, development, testing and evaluation

A new perspective in bone metabolism: Targeting the lysosome–iron–mitochondria axis for osteoclast regulation

Few military spouses use formal support services during, after deployment

Breakthrough in the hunt for light dark matter: QROCODILE project reveals world-leading constraints

2D x-ray imaging technique reveals hidden processes in CO2 electrolyzers

Rational high entropy doping strategy via modular in-situ/post solvothermal doping integration for microwave absorption

[Press-News.org] Throat problems could impair autonomic nervous system's ability to regulate blood pressure
Research suggests problems at junction between air and food passages may ‘overwhelm’ the Vagus nerve