Health news: New study "to prevent thousands of heart attacks and strokes in Britain"



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High blood pressure was responsible for 7.8 million deaths worldwide in 2015
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DNA samples from more than a million people have helped scientists increase the number of regulators to over 1,000.

Researchers can now explain nearly a third of hereditary risk factors for hypertension or hypertension.

The new discovery could potentially prevent thousands of heart attacks and strokes in the UK every year, according to the British Heart Foundation.

Lead researcher Professor Mark Caulfield of Queen's University London said, "This is the biggest advance in blood pressure genetics to date.

"We now know that there are more than 1,000 genetic cues that influence our blood pressure, which gives us a lot of new information about how our body regulates blood pressure and has revealed several new drug development opportunities in Canada. l & # 39; future.

"With this information, we could calculate a person 's genetic risk score for hypertension in later life.

"By adopting a precision medicine approach, physicians could target early interventions on the lifestyle of people at high genetic risk, such as weight loss, reduced alcohol consumption, and high blood pressure." 39, physical exercise ".

Hypertension was responsible for some 7.8 million deaths worldwide in 2015.

"Knowing which genes cause high blood pressure can help us identify people at risk before the damage is done."

Professor Jeremy Pearson

The new study found that known genetic variants more than tripled the risk of hypertension and increased the likelihood of poor cardiovascular outcomes 1.52 times.

He also identified a number of potential new targets for new drugs or drugs.

Canagliflozin, a type 2 diabetes medication, could also be used to treat hypertension.

APOE, a gene associated with the inherited Alzheimer's disease, is one of the new genes thought to play a role in hypertension.

Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation, said: "High blood pressure significantly increases the risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

"Lifestyle factors, such as not doing enough exercise, being overweight or drinking too much, can cause high blood pressure. However, our genes can also play a major role.

"Knowing which genes cause high blood pressure can help us detect people at risk before the damage is done, and at-risk people can be treated with either medication or lifestyle changes."

The study, published in the journal Nature Genetics, was funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the British Heart Foundation.

Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Scientific Advisor, Department of Health, said, "This important and important study shows how multiple genetic factors influence blood pressure, providing evidence that can be translated into preventive and curative measures for patients. patients in the years to come. . "

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