The genetics of human hypertension

Human hypertension is a common and complex disease and is associated with diabetes, cardiovascular, and renal disease. Therefore, it is important to understand the genetic basis of this disease. Specific genetic mutations leading to monogenic forms of hypertension have been identified in Liddle's syndrome and glucocorticoid-remediable hypertension and in some syndromes in which blood pressure is lowered. Because essential hypertension is a polygenic disease, elucidating a genotype that is causally related to essential hypertension will be difficult. To date, no genotype has been conclusively linked to essential hypertension except in certain populations. However, there has been progress in finding genetic variations that are associated with hypertension in patients with components of the metabolic syndrome (or Syndrome X). Future discoveries in this area should enhance our ability to intervene earlier and more effectively and therefore lessen the complications of this common disease.