High blood pressure genetic clues

More than 20 new sections of genetic code have been linked to blood pressure by an international team of scientists.

 Almost everyone will carry at least one of the genetic variants, according to studies published in Nature and Nature Genetics. Researchers believe their findings could be used to develop new treatments. 

The British Heart Foundation said lifestyle was still key to a healthy blood pressure. High blood pressure - or hypertension - can run in families as well as being influenced by obesity, exercise and the amount of salt in the diet.

 While the lifestyle risks are well known, the genetic element of hypertension has been poorly understood. Researchers now say they have made a "major advance" in understanding the role of genes.

In the first study, scientists from 24 countries around the world analysed data from more than 200,000 people. They identified 16 new points on the genome which were linked to blood pressure. One of the lead researchers, Prof Mark Caulfield, from Barts and The London Medical School, said each genetic variant was in at least 5% of people, while some were much more common. "This is having an influence across the population," he said. Uncovering the genetic basis of blood pressure has revealed processes in the body which could one day be targeted with drugs.

 One series of chemical reactions involving nitric oxide, which opens up blood vessels, has been highlighted as a potential target. Gene puzzle Prof Caulfield said: "There is substantial potential for moving the findings from the lab to the clinic. "There are, in development or in existence, drugs which could be considered."

 However, researchers say they have still uncovered only 1% of the genetic contribution to blood pressure. A second study, presented in Nature Genetics, identified a further six new stretches of genetic code. 

 The British Heart Foundation's medical director, Prof Peter Weissberg, said: "Researchers from across the world have now identified some of the genes linked to blood pressure control, which could pave the way for new treatments in the future. "But your genes are only one piece of the puzzle. You are less likely to have high blood pressure if you stick to a healthy diet, do plenty of exercise, and maintain a healthy weight."

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Poor sleep increases high blood pressure risk

If you sleep poorly, your chances of developing high blood pressure may increase, new research suggest.

In the study, men with the lowest level of the deeper stages of slumber, known as slow-wave sleep, had an 80 percent higher chance of developing high blood pressure than men with the highest level of this restorative sleep.

The link held regardless of other factors, such as obesity or how long the men slept.

"Reductions in the deepest stage of sleep is specifically associated with an increased risk of developing high blood pressure," said Dr. Susan Redline, the Peter C. Farrell Professor of Sleep Medicine at Brigham & Women's Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.

The study, published in the Aug. 29 online edition of the journal Hypertension, reinforces other research that has linked sleep problems with a raised risk of obesity and cardiovascular problems, among other ills.

Redline evaluated 784 men, average age 75, who were part of the Outcomes of Sleep Disorders in Older Men Study. In 2003-05, the men did not have high blood pressure. Ideally, blood pressure readings should be below 120/80. When they returned for a follow up in 2007-09, the investigators found that 243 men had developed high blood pressure.

The researchers divided the men into four groups, from those with the lowest amount of slow-wave sleep to the highest.

After the researchers took into account age, race, body mass index and other factors, the link between low slow-wave sleep and higher blood pressure held. Even when the researchers took into account sleep-disordered breathing and the length of overall sleep, the link held.

Slow-wave sleep decreases with age, Redline said. "Kids may have 40 percent slow-wave sleep 1/8of total sleep3/8," she said, but healthy adults, overall, may have only about 25 percent.

In this study, the men averaged 11.2 percent of slow-wave sleep, she said. Those in the lowest of the four groups averaged only 4 percent or less. Other studies have shown that slow-wave sleep is lower in older men than in women.

While the study found an association between slow-wave sleep and high blood pressure, it did not prove a cause-and-effect.

source:usatoday

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