New study finds what causes blood pressure or hypertension disease

More than 2,000 regions on the human genome have been identified as playing a role in determining an individual's blood pressure, thus impacting their risk of developing hypertension, a recent study reports. Genomics, which involves studying an individual's entire genetic makeup and the relationships between genes, has shed light on these findings. The research, led by Queen Mary University of London, UK, and published in the journal Nature Genetics, analyzed data from over a million individuals to uncover these genetic links to blood pressure.

"Our study discovered additional genomic locations that significantly contribute to the genetic differences in people's blood pressure. Understanding a person's risk for hypertension could pave the way for personalized treatments, potentially enhancing their effectiveness," explained Jacob Keaton, the first author of the study and a staff scientist at the National Human Genome Research Institute's (NHGRI) in the US.

Among the findings, over 100 new genomic locations associated with blood pressure were identified, some of which are within genes crucial for iron metabolism. This aligns with previous research suggesting a correlation between high iron levels and cardiovascular disease development.


The study reinforces the understanding that high blood pressure tends to run in families, indicating a genetic predisposition alongside environmental factors such as diet, exercise, smoking, and stress.

Persistent high blood pressure can inflict damage on the heart and blood vessels, heightening the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and related conditions.

As part of their analysis, researchers devised a polygenic risk score to forecast an individual's blood pressure and hypertension risk by considering all relevant genomic variants. These scores offer meaningful insights into an individual's blood pressure status.

"We are sharing our polygenic risk scores data publicly, opening doors to various potential applications in addressing clinically relevant questions in the future," highlighted Helen Warren, a senior lecturer in statistical genetics at Queen Mary University of London.

Echoing this sentiment, Patricia Munroe, a professor of molecular medicine at Queen Mary University of London, emphasized, "Our results offer new avenues for comprehending biological mechanisms and, importantly, new polygenic risk scores for early detection and stratification of individuals at risk for cardiovascular diseases."

"This extensive study builds upon over 18 years of blood pressure GWAS research," added senior author Munroe. GWAS, or genome-wide association studies, utilize statistical methods to identify genomic variants linked to disease risk. The study incorporated data from four datasets from GWAS of blood pressure and hypertension, including the UK Biobank and the International Consortium for Blood Pressure.

(Inputs from PTI)