Molecular Mechanisms of Human Hypertension

Supported in part by a Specialized Center of Research in Hypertension and NIH K08 awards (to A. G. and D. S. G.) and a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Abstract

Hypertension, or elevated arterial blood pressure, is a substantial public health problem, affecting 25% of the adult population in industrialized societies (Burt et al., 1995). This disorder is a major risk factor for many common causes of morbidity and mortality including stroke, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and end-stage renal disease (Mosterd et al., 1999; USRDS, 1999; Kannel, 2000). Despite the important role of hypertension as a cause of disease, its pathogenesis remains largely unknown. Recently, the application of genetic approaches to this disease has begun to delineate molecular pathways underlying blood pressure variation, defining disease pathogenesis and identifying targets for therapeutic intervention. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms that have been implicated in blood pressure variation in humans.