Matters of the heart

Igor Felippe’s groundbreaking research into blood pressure has meant sacrifices and challenges

- Caitlin Sykes

For the one in five Kiwis fighting high blood pressure, it’s a health battle with high stakes. Though the condition can go unnoticed, it’s the single biggest risk factor for cardiovascular disease – New Zealand’s No 1 killer, accounting for almost one in three deaths, according to the Heart Foundation.

On a professional and a personal level, Dr Igor Felippe knows this battle well. A postdoctoral research fellow at Manaaki Mānawa, the Centre for Heart Research at the University of Auckland, he is advancing understanding of high blood pressure and new ways to treat it.

In particular, he’s looking at the massive issue of how to treat hypertension through a tiny sensory organ called the carotid body. About the size of a grain of rice, the carotid body sits at the fork of the carotid artery in the neck and helps sense and control blood oxygen levels as well as blood pressure.

Hyperactivity in the carotid body has been linked to high blood pressure in some sufferers of the condition. Felippe’s work has been focused on understanding the causes of this hyperactivity and exploring new potential treatments that may help bring it – and ultimately the blood pressure of these patients – under control.

“High blood pressure is a pandemic, and it’s a silent killer,” says Felippe. “It isn’t symptomatic until you have a more serious cardiovascular event or develop a cardiovascular disease. And that’s something every one can relate to. My grandmother had to have a coronary bypass when I was young; today, I have a friend my age who’s hypertensive.”