What Have We Learned from the Genetics of Hypertension?

Twin studies show that about half the risk of hypertension development is inherited. Mendelian hypertension has elucidated astounding basic pathways contributing to hypertension over (presumably) dietary salt intake or directly through increased peripheral vascular resistance. The Mendelian mutations exercise large effects on blood pressure. Inversely, studying the entire human genome for sources signaling blood pressure has yielded many signals with small effects. Thus far, few loci have been validated or translated into targets. Both genetic strategies are necessary, and much remains to be done.