Genes that cause hypertension may also dictate which drugs can best keep it under control.

There are many drugs which can be used to treat hypertension - high blood pressure - and people's individual responses to these drugs vary enormously. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic now believe that there could be a strong genetic influence on these differences.

They looked at a group of over 1,000 people with hypertension and noted what drugs they were taking. They then screened them for variants in two genes thought to be involved in high blood pressure. They found a link between the variant the person carried and their response to drugs such as beta-blockers and diuretics. The study suggests that there are different reasons for high blood pressure, dictated by gene variants. Each can be most effectively treated by a specific drug. This could individualize the treatment for high blood pressure, rather than using the current trial and error approach.

Source

American Heart Association High Blood Pressure Conference 24th September 2003