How aldosterone may raise blood pressure and heart risk during menopause
Official title: Aldosterone and the menopausal transition's increase in blood pressure and cardiovascular risk
Funded at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor · NIH-11323147 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will measure aldosterone and renin in women before, during, and after menopause to link hormone changes with rising blood pressure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project start | May 20, 2024 |
| Project end | April 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $752,835 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL164678-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11323147 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are midlife women approaching or recently past their final menstrual period, especially those with rising blood pressure or on blood-pressure medications.
✕Less likely to help
Men, much younger women far from menopause, or people whose high blood pressure is driven by causes unrelated to aldosterone are unlikely to see direct benefit.
What this research studies
This work uses blood samples from about 1,534 women enrolled in the long-running Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Scientists will measure serum aldosterone about five years before the final menstrual period, within a year of the final period, and about five years after to track changes through menopause. When matching samples are available they will also measure plasma renin to understand how the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system changes alongside blood pressure. The study is observational and aims to explain why some women develop worse hypertension after menopause and why common drugs like ACE inhibitors or ARBs may not fully control aldosterone-related effects.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help doctors choose better blood-pressure treatments for menopausal women and reduce their long-term heart risk.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research links estrogen loss to RAAS changes and describes 'aldosterone breakthrough' with ACE inhibitors/ARBs, but large longitudinal measurements across the menopausal transition are relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Byrd, James Brian — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Byrd, James Brian
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.