ABSTRACT
Hypertensives of African origin have low-renin, sodium-sensitive blood pressure and respond poorly to treatment with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. The epithelial sodium channel may be important in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension in this population. This is supported by the identification of mutations within this channel, which lead to excess sodium reabsorption and hypertension in Liddle's syndrome. In this study we tested whether there was linkage of the genes encoding the three subunits of the epithelial sodium channel to essential hypertension in 63 affected sibling pairs of West African origin from St. Vincent and the Grenadines. We found no support for linkage of the epithelial sodium channel to essential hypertension in this population. However, further studies will be needed in larger populations of African ancestry to exclude a contribution of the genes encoding the epithelial sodium channel to hypertension.
Subject(s)
Black People/genetics , Genetic Linkage , Hypertension/genetics , Sodium Channels/genetics , Aged , Epithelium/metabolism , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Sodium, Dietary/administration & dosage , West IndiesABSTRACT
Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) which alters sodium balance, blood volume and vascular tone represents an important candidate for investigating the genetic basis of essential hypertension (EH). Accordingly, we have studied Bgl1 and Xho1 restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of the ANP gene in 147 hypertensive, 141 normotensive and 67 population-based control subjects from a homogenous population of West African origin from St Vincent and the Grenadines. We found no association of either Bgl1 and Xho1 RFLPs with EH. This study suggests that the ANP locus may not exert a major gene effect on EH amongst the black people of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Subject(s)
Atrial Natriuretic Factor/genetics , Black People , Hypertension/genetics , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Hypertension/ethnology , Male , Middle Aged , Polymorphism, Genetic , Saint Vincent and the Grenadines/ethnologyABSTRACT
Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) which alters sodium balance, blood volume and vascular tone represents an important candidate for investigating the genetic basis of essential hypertension (EH). Accordingly, we have studied Bg11 and Xho1 restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of the ANP gene in 147 hypertensive, 141 normotensive and 67 population-based control subjects from a homogenous population of West African origin from St Vincent and the Grenadines. We found no association of either Bg11 and Xho1 RFLPs with EH. This study suggests that the ANP locus may not exert a major gene effect on EH amongst the black people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.(AU)
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Atrial Natriuretic Factor/genetics , Hypertension/genetics , Hypertension/ethnology , Polymorphism, GeneticABSTRACT
Epidemiological studies have consistently reported a higher prevalence of essential hypertension in black people. Other data indicate that black people may have salt regulatory systems with low reserves which are unable to cope with moderate quantities of salt and respond to salt loading by increasing their blood pressures. Black people are therefore susceptible to the deleterious effects of salt. As some forms of EH may be related to defects in salt regulatory systems, we investigated association of the renin gene locus (the rate limiting enzyme in an important salt regulatory system) with EH in an ethnically homogenous group of black people of African origin (Summary)