Will Gwas Unlock The Genetic Basis Of Hypertension
There was a heated debate in HYPERTENSION on December 2010. Dominiczak and Munroe described the successes of aforementioned two studies, and predicted a bright future for GWAS in hypertension . On the contrary, Kurtz contended that GWAS had failed, and would continue to fail, to delineate the genetic basis of hypertension. He suggested that efforts and dollars should be shifted to other strategies and technologies that may hold greater chance for advancing our understanding of the genetic etiology of hypertension . Despite different opinions, both pro and con sides shared some common ground: low-frequency/rare variants are important, and the sample size should be further enlarged.
Table 1. GWASs for hypertension or blood pressure published in NATURE GENETICS since 2007.
Is High Blood Pressure Genetic
High blood pressure can run in familiesyou might be able to blame it on genetics, as well as similar lifestyle habits.
When it comes to high blood pressure, the acorn doesnt fall far from the tree, says Guy L. Mintz, MD, director of cardiovascular health and lipidology at Northwell Healths Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset, New York. If your mom is obese or overweight or has diabetes, you are likely to as well, as these are two high blood pressure risk factors, he says.
Genes are one part of this, but families also tend to eat the same way and often share similarities in how or if they exercise, Dr. Mintz notes.
Heres what you need to know about high blood pressure, the potential role of genes in high blood pressure, and available treatment options.
World’s Biggest Study Of Blood Pressure Genetics
- Date:
- Queen Mary University of London
- Summary:
- Over 500 new gene regions that influence people’s blood pressure have been discovered in the largest global genetic study of blood pressure to date.
Over 500 new gene regions that influence people’s blood pressure have been discovered in the largest global genetic study of blood pressure to date, led by Queen Mary University of London and Imperial College London.
Involving more than one million participants, the results more than triple the number of blood pressure gene regions to over 1,000 and means that almost a third of the estimated heritability for blood pressure is now explained.
The study, published in Nature Genetics and supported by the National Institute for Health Research , Medical Research Council and British Heart Foundation, also reports a strong role of these genes, not only in blood vessels, but also within the adrenal glands above the kidney, and in body fat.
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke and heart disease and was responsible for an estimated 7.8 million deaths worldwide in 2015. While lifestyle risk factors are relatively well-known and include obesity, smoking, alcohol and high salt-intake, high blood pressure is also highly heritable through genetics. Prior to this study however, the genetic architecture of blood pressure had not been well understood.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Queen Mary University of London. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
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Some Facts About High Blood Pressure
The danger of high blood pressure is that it increases your chances of heart attack and stroke. In 2018, high blood pressure contributed to the death of almost 500,000 Americans . Over 100 million Americans either have hypertension or are managing it with medication .
According to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Index, high blood pressure has the greatest overall health impact in the U.S., with the highest concentration in the southeast .
Thats not all it also has a financial impact. In a study looking at health expenditures in the U.S. between 2003 and 2014, people with hypertension had about 2.5 times the inpatient costs, twice the outpatient cost, and triple the prescription medication cost of those without hypertension .
It is the most expensive part of the top preventable non-communicable disease in the country, heart disease. The fact is, you are lowering your risks for an array of dangerous health conditions if you control your high blood pressure. Genetics can play a role, along with many other factors.
But when your health professional says that you have high blood pressure, what exactly do they mean?
Elevated Activity Of The Sympathetic Nervous System
The sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system controls cardiovascular functions necessary to meet needs of the organism other than those of a purely vegetative nature. High sympathetic activity often foreshadows genetic hypertension in both humans and rodent models.
Vijay Singh, Ronald Ross Watson, in, 2018
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Lower Your Stress Levels
Constantly being in a state of stress can contribute to chronically elevated blood pressure. Our stress response developed as an evolutionary adaption to direct threats to our survival or wellbeing, leading to what we commonly refer to as the fight or flight response. Even if we dont experience a direct threat, the constant demands in everyday life can cause a synthetic state of fight-or-flight mode. Being in this state of elevated stress triggers your sympathetic nervous system, causing your adrenal glands to release a surge of hormones norepinephrine and epinephrine better known as adrenaline. The resulting physiological reactions include elevated heart rate, vasoconstriction, and elevated blood pressure.
To combat chronic stress that exacerbates hypertension, try dedicating time each day to an activity that is relaxing for you. Maybe this means going to the gym or taking a walk outside. Yoga is a calming activity that re-centers your focus on body movements and breathing techniques, helping you get your mind off of your responsibilities, deadlines, and list of tasks to complete. When youre strapped for time, even 10 minutes of meditating each day can quiet your mind and calm your physical stress response. Additionally, keeping your bedtime the same every night and getting adequate sleep allows your body to more effectively cope with everyday stressors that may contribute to high blood pressure.
Consume A Mostly Plant
Consuming a plant-based diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes effectively lowers inflammation, improves vascular function, and increases potassium intake. Focusing on consuming plant-based whole foods ensures that you are mainly eating foods that are dense in all of the nutrients needed to protect your heart and lower your blood pressure.
Lowering Inflammation
A plant-based diet can reduce inflammation. Systemic inflammation means that your immune system is aggravated, leading to the activation of cells that are responsible for immune response, like macrophages, cytokines, T cells, and lymphocytes. Under normal circumstances, these cells are activated to fight off an infection, heal a wound, or repair damaged cells.
Food is a significant mediator for inflammation. A diet high in refined sugar, trans fats, saturated fat, processed meats, and dairy products exacerbate inflammation in the body. On the other hand, a plant-based diet consisting mainly of whole foods soothes inflammation, repairs inflammatory damage, and protects against further damage.
Dr. Michael Greger describes how certain foods influence blood pressure in his book How Not to Die. Try incorporating the foods he suggests into your diet as part of an antihypertensive lifestyle.
Beets and Other Foods with Nitrate
Note: Keep in mind that the natural sources of nitrate in vegetables have a vastly different effect than those added to preserved meats.
Flaxseeds and Omega-3 Fatty Acids
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Other Causes Of Hypertension
Hypertension can occur in people for various reasons. It is important to note that in about 95% of cases, the cause of the condition is unknown.
Health experts do not fully understand what causes primary hypertension, which they also refer to as essential hypertension. In this type, people can develop high blood pressure over time. Additionally, there is no underlying cause for this increase. In contrast, secondary hypertension can result from other disorders that increase blood pressure.
Essential hypertension is complex many environmental and genetic factors contribute to its development. There are many genetic variations in humans that have links to essential hypertension. Examples might include genes that play a role in regulating the following:
Things To Keep In Mind
In some cases, lifestyle and diet are enough to successfully lower your blood pressure within a healthy range. In other cases, taking antihypertensive medications in addition to lifestyle changes is necessary. Always consult your physician when changing your diet and lifestyle to ensure that your regimen is tailored to your specific health needs. If your case of hypertension is a result of other diseases, your doctor will guide you on how to best manage your condition with medical interventions.
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Causes And Risk Factors
You may be at an increased risk for high blood pressure if you smoke, areoverweight, eat a diet thats low on produce and fiber and/or high in fatand salt, drink alcohol to excess, live with chronic stress or dont getmuch physical activity. Some causes of hypertension cannot becontrolledincluding your genes and your race . Aging also plays a role. Even if you do not have hypertensionby age 55 to 65, your lifetime risk for developing it is a whopping 90percent.
But doctors no longer consider hypertension inevitable or untreatable withage, saysSamuel Durso, M.D., director of the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at JohnsHopkins.
In one Johns Hopkins study of 975 older women and men with hypertension,healthy lifestyle steps helped 40 percent stop taking blood pressuremedications. Other research has shown that lifestyle changes can lower therisk for hypertension in African-Americans and others at an increasedgenetic risk.
Know Your Risk For High Blood Pressure
Some medical conditions can raise your risk for high blood pressure, but you can take steps to lower your risk by changing the factors you can control.
Risk factors that can increase your risk of high blood pressure include health conditions, your lifestyle, and your family history.
Some of the risk factors for high blood pressure cannot be controlled, such as your age or family history. But you can take steps to lower your risk by changing the factors you can control.
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Researchers Uncover Genetic Clues To Blood Pressure
An international research team has identified a number of unsuspected genetic variants associated with systolic blood pressure , diastolic blood pressure , and hypertension , suggesting potential avenues of investigation for the prevention or treatment of hypertension. The research was funded in part by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health and by several other NIH institutes and centers.
The analysis of over 29,000 participants is being presented at the American Society of Hypertension, Inc. scientific meeting on May 8, 2009, and is published online in the journal Nature Genetics on May 10, 2009.
“This study provides important new insights into the biology of blood pressure regulation and, with continued research, may lead to the development of novel therapeutic approaches to combat hypertension and its complications,” said NHLBI Director Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D.
About 1 in 3 adults in the United States has high blood pressure. Hypertension can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and other health problems, and causes over 7 million deaths worldwide each year.
Blood pressure has a substantial genetic component and hypertension runs in families. Previous attempts to identify genes associated with blood pressure, however, have met with limited success.
To interview an NHLBI spokesperson, contact the NHLBI Communications Office at 301-496-4236 or at.
NIHTurning Discovery Into Health®
What Are Systolic And Diastolic Numbers
A blood pressure reading has two numbers: an upper number, called systolic, and a lower number, called diastolic. The systolic number measures the pressure against your arteries when your heart contracts to pump blood. The diastolic reading measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart relaxes between beats.
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Variability Of The Human Genome And Principles Of Genetic Mapping
A large fraction of variation of the human genome is contained in single-nucleotide polymorphisms : variation in these variants is constituted by two, rarely more, different possible nucleotide bases at the same genetic position. Considerable additional variation of the human genome exists, e.g. insertions and deletions , structural variation , and epigenetic modification. Although these and other sources of variation are being tested comprehensively, most endeavour in recent years have been centred on SNPs because their interrogation at large scale is now feasible. The microarrays used for these experiments that genotyped tens of thousands of SNPs in their first versions can interrogate more than 5 million variants today.
What Does High Blood Pressure Feel Like
Perhaps the most important thing you can know about high blood pressure is that it usually doesnt produce any symptoms. Most people dont realize they have it until they visit their doctor for a routine checkup or something worse happens !
The lack of symptoms is the big thing here. At life-threatening levels, some people can develop headaches, nosebleeds, or have shortness of breath, but thats not everyone or even most. This is why its important to understand the risk factors and know which are relevant to you.
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The Lining Of Blood Vessels Or Vascular Endothelium
Any changes to the genes that contribute to the typical functioning of the lining can lead to a difference in blood vessel structure and impair its abilities. Blood vessels might become narrower, which can result in high blood pressure.
Environmental factors can also contribute to the development of hypertension in some people.
an individuals likelihood of developing the condition.
The lifestyle risk factors for hypertension include:
Other risk factors for hypertension include:
- Diabetes: Around 6 out of 10 people with diabetes also have hypertension. They also have an increased risk of heart disease.
- Age: The risk of hypertension increases with age. Around 9 out of 10 Americans develop the condition during their lifetime.
- Race and ethnicity: Black people in the U.S. have an
What Can Someone With A Family History Of Hypertension Do To Reduce Their Risk Of Disease
If an individual has a family history of hypertension, they should understand the risk factors for the condition and reduce them wherever possible.
Doctors refer to risk factors that someone can change as modifiable. An individual can work with their doctor to lower these risk factors as much as possible. This could involve maintaining a moderate weight, eating a nutritious diet, quitting cigarette smoking if applicable, and drinking less alcohol. Research has found that adhering to a healthy lifestyle has associations with lower blood pressure, regardless of underlying genetic risk.
Besides taking these steps, a doctor may suggest regular blood pressure monitoring so they can assess and address any changes in blood pressure over time.
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Not Getting Enough Sleep
Sleeping less than 6 hours is associated with developing high blood pressure and a whole host of other diseases.
Please make sure youre getting enough sleep if you have high blood pressure.
How much sleep you need to be healthy depends on your genetic chronotype.
Some people are LONG sleepers, meaning they should get at least 8-9 hours sleep per night.
Genetic short sleepers usually sleep 6-7 hours. And super-short genetic sleepers might only sleep 5 hrs or less per night.
Knowing how much sleep you need to stay healthy is critical if youre at risk of high blood pressure.
What Causes High Blood Pressure
Sometimes high blood pressure is a result of an underlying condition such as kidney disorders, blood vessel disease, or hormonal abnormalities. This is known as secondary hypertension, says Dr. Mintz.
Many things influence blood pressure, including some you can change. These include avoiding unhealthy foods loaded with salt, lack of physical activity, obesity, diabetes, smoking, stress, and consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. Other thingssuch as age, family history, gender, and race or ethnicityalso affect your risk for developing high blood pressure. However, these risk factors are not in your control.
For example, Black people develop high blood pressure more frequently than white people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
The precise cause of high blood pressure is unknown in as many as 95 percent of cases. This is called essential hypertension. Genes as well as lifestyle factors named above are likely at play, according to the CDC. In fact, more than 100 genetic variations have been associated with essential hypertension.
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Genes Linked To High Blood Pressure
High Blood Pressure Genes May Raise Risk of Stroke and Heart Attack
May 11, 2009 – A group of genes may raise the risks associated with high blood pressure, such as heart attack and stroke.
Researchers found that 10 genetic variants individually explained about 1% of blood pressure variation after accounting for other risk factors, like age, gender, and excess weight. But when acting together, these blood pressure genes may account for as much as a 34% increase in stroke risk and 21% greater risk of heart attack and heart disease-related complications.
âThis is a major advance because it identifies novel pathways that may expand our current understanding of the determinants of blood pressure and highlights potential targets for new drugs to treat or possibly even prevent hypertension,â researcher Christopher Newton-Cheh, MD, MPH, of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Human Genetic Research and Cardiovascular Research Center, says in a news release.
Team Discovers Genetic Cause Of Rare High Blood Pressure Syndrome
Twenty-five years ago, an unusual inherited form of high blood pressure was first described in an Australian family. Its genetic cause, however, had remained elusive. Using modern sequencing methods, an international research team led by BIH Johanna Quandt Professor Ute Scholl has succeeded in detecting mutations in a new disease gene present in this family and seven othersthat are responsible for the development of a familial form of hyperaldosteronism.
Mutation in the CLCN2 gene alters blood pressure regulation
Familial hyperaldosteronism type II was first described in an Australian family 25 years ago. The research team investigated this family along with other patients suffering from hyperaldosteronism in childhood and adolescence. A total of eight families, including the large Australian family, showed mutations in a gene that had not previously been associated with blood pressure regulation. The CLCN2 gene carries information for building a channel in the cell membrane through which chloride ions can pass. In specific cells of the adrenal gland, these chloride channels regulate membrane voltage and aldosterone production. Gene mutations in patients with familial hyperaldosteronism cause changes in the membrane voltage and result in the overproduction of aldosterone, which raises bloodpressure.
Study results enable early detection and treatment
More information:Nature GeneticsJournal information:
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