blood pressure

Key gene linked to high blood pressure identified


Researchers said, a gene that affects how the kidneys process salt may help determine a person's risk of high blood pressure, and it could lead to better ways to treat the condition.

University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers found that people with a general variant of the gene STK39 tend to have higher blood pressure levels & are likely to develop full blown high blood pressure, also called hypertension . They identified the gene's role in high blood pressure susceptibility by analyzing 560 people in the insular old Order Amish community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Researchers confirmed that the genes of another group of Amish peopleand 4 other groups of white people in the United States and Europe. About 20% of the people studied had either one or two copies of this particular variant.

The researchers said, the gene produces a protein involved in regulating the way the kidneys process salt in the body-a key factor in determining blood pressure.

Note: Yen-Pei Christy Chang, who led the study appearing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said the findings could lead to the development of new high blood pressure drugs targeting the activity of STK39.

People with high blood pressure are more likely to develop heart attacks, heart failure, strokes and kidney disease. While STK39 may play a pivotal role in some people, Chang said numerous other genes also may be involved. Many factors are involved in high blood pressure such as being overweight, lack of exercise, smoking and too much salt in the diet.

Several different types of medications are used to treat high blood pressure, including diuretics, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers and others.

Chang said the researchers want to determine how people with different versions of this gene respond to the various drugs and to lifestyle interventions such as cutting the amount of salt in the diet. The Lancaster Amish are seen as ideal for genetic research because they are a genetically homogenous people whose ancestry can be traced to a small group who arrived from Europe in the 1700s.