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September 17 (UPI) – In a study of 1 million people in Britain, researchers found 535 new genetic regions that affect blood pressure.
Nearly one-third of the estimated heritability for blood pressure has been identified, according to the researchers, including a tripling compared to those previously known. The research, conducted by scientists from Queen Mary University in London and Imperial College London, was published Monday in Nature Genetics.
Genes play a role in blood pressure beyond blood vessels, especially in the adrenal glands above the kidneys and in body fat.
Blood pressure is a major risk of stroke and heart disease, which is influenced by lifestyle-related factors including obesity, smoking, alcohol and high intake. in salt.
"Unfortunately, some people just pull short genetic straw and have to work harder to stay healthy," said Dr. Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation, in a press release.
However, the genetic architecture of blood pressure had not yet been well understood.
"This is the largest advance in blood pressure genetics to date," said Dr. Mark Caulfield, director of the Center for Biomedical Research at the National Institute of Health Research. "This gives us many new insights into how our body regulates blood pressure and has revealed several new opportunities for the development of future drugs."
Based on these results, it is possible to calculate a person's genetic risk score for high blood pressure later in life. Using this "approach to precision medicine," Caulfield said physicians can target specific interventions for each patient.
For those who have a high genetic risk, losing weight, reducing alcohol consumption or increasing physical activity may be appropriate, he said. And patients can be divided into groups according to their risk of illness, potentially allowing even more specific care.
"By identifying patients who have the greatest underlying risk, we can help them change the lifestyle factors that make them more likely to develop a disease, while allowing doctors to provide them with targeted treatments sooner." , thus reducing the burden of disease on the health service and improving the quality of life of people, "said Dr. Paul Elliott, a researcher at Imperial College London.
The analysis of 1 million people included nearly 500,000 people from the British Biobank cohort.
By comparing the group presenting the highest genetic risk of high blood pressure to that of the least risk group, the researchers found that all genetic variants were associated with blood pressure greater than about 13 mmHg, 3 , 34 times higher for hypertension. and 1.52 times the probability of an increased risk of cardiovascular problems.
The researchers believe that some medications prescribed for other diseases could be reused to treat hypertension. A newly discovered gene is targeted by canagliflozin, a type 2 diabetes drug.
Some of the new blood pressure genes were also known to be associated with other diseases. The APOE gene, for example, is well known for its association with coronary artery disease and Alzheimer's disease.
"Knowing which genes cause high blood pressure can help us identify people at risk before the damage is done," said Pearson. "People at risk can be treated – either with medications or lifestyle changes – potentially preventing thousands of heart attacks and strokes each year."
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