Are Genetics The Only Reason For High Blood Pressure Among Certain Hispanic Populations?

February 20, 2002 – San Francisco -- In earlier research Juan C. Mendible, Ph.D., and his colleagues examined the genetics of the Venezuelan aborigines, a population that has lived in the remote southeastern part of that country for 25,000 years. The investigators discovered that although more than 85 percent of the aborigines carried a gene that is associated with salt- sensitive hypertension, the population did not develop this disorder.

These findings were especially noteworthy as they stood in stark contrast to other data. Namely, that cardiovascular disease – which includes hypertension (also known as high blood pressure) – is the leading cause of death among Venezuelans age 35 and older. Thus, other factors must play a role in the development of the disease. But what are they?

A Study of 700 Healthy Males in Venezuela

In their latest research, Dr. Mendible and his team have examined 700 healthy young males in Venezuelan to test the notion that high blood pressure among certain Hispanic populations is related to genes as well as the environment. Half of the study volunteers had a family history of hypertension.

After a cold stress test was applied to the entire population the research results revealed that those with a family history of high blood pressure had statistically significant higher responses to the test compared to those without a high blood pressure family history. Yet, when the frequency genes of the two groups were compared, there was essentially no difference between them.

Dr. Mendible believes that since the cold stress test affects a certain function of the heart, those individuals with a family history of high blood pressure may be more likely to have a dysfunction in this particular layer of the heart.

Dr. Mendible is the head of the Laboratory of Molecular Cardiology at the Institute of Experimental Medicine at the Unviversidad Central de Venezuela. He will discuss these findings and clinical theories in detail during his presentation at the spring conference of the American Physiological Society (APS), being held in San Francisco from February 20-23, 2002.

Dr. Mendible states that environment may be a key factor in high blood pressure and recommends that an increase in physical activity and a reduction in smoking and use of salt become key parts to improving the health of Hispanic adults. This advice may also help to reduce the incidence of high blood pressure among Hispanics in the US, where the disease affects almost one in four Hispanic males and approximately one in five Hispanic females. The concern about high blood pressure is related to the fact that it can lead to heart attack and premature death.   

Moreover, he and his laboratory colleagues are also working on pharmacogenetics. Pharmacogenetics is the process by which the patient’s own DNA is used to perfect the medication that is best suited to the individual’s personal genetic makeup. Pharmacogenetics is expected to become the standard of care for prescribing medications in the future, eliminating the “one medication for all” approach we use today. 

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The American Physiological Society (APS) was founded in 1887 to foster basic and applied science, much of it relating to human health. The Bethesda, MD-based Society is one of the world’s most prestigious organizations, totaling more than 10,000 members, including physiological researchers and academicians. Clinical physiologists investigate the function of the human body, including the effects of genes, diseases, exercise and metabolism. Their primary professional commitment is to understand these processes and functions so that promising new cures can be developed.  The APS publishes 3,800 articles in its 14 peer-reviewed journals every year. Physiological Genomics, the newest APS journal and the conference co-sponsor, is among the Society’s flagship publications.

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