Cortisol and High Blood Pressure: 27% of Resistant Cases Linked to Stress Hormone, Major Study Finds

# Cortisol and High Blood Pressure: 27% of Resistant Cases Linked to Stress Hormone, Major Study Finds

> **Quick answer:** The MOMENTUM study — the largest U.S. study of its kind — found that 27% of patients whose blood pressure stays high despite taking three or more medications have elevated cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone. This hormone disorder, called hypercortisolism, is far more common in resistant hypertension than doctors previously believed, and a single overnight test can detect it. For the nearly 10 million Americans with resistant hypertension, this finding could explain why their medications are not working.

If your blood pressure refuses to come down even with multiple medications, there may be a hidden hormonal cause your doctor hasn't tested for yet. A landmark new study reveals that cortisol — the same stress hormone that surges during a work deadline or a difficult conversation — may be silently sabotaging your cardiovascular system from the inside.

The data, published in *JACC: Advances* and presented as a Featured Clinical Research presentation at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session on March 28, 2026, represents a turning point in how physicians understand treatment-resistant high blood pressure.

## The MOMENTUM Study: What Researchers Found

The MOMENTUM trial analyzed 1,086 patients across 50 centers throughout the United States — making it the first and largest U.S.-based study to investigate the prevalence of hypercortisolism in people with resistant hypertension.