Hypertension is a deadly disease that is fraught with misunderstanding and confusion (Cooper, 2012). Hypertension is like an invisible plague that is difficult to detect, but the deadly outcome is obvious for all to see (Flynn, 2013). This type of medical problem is the root cause of stroke, kidney failure and other forms of serious disorders (Cooper, 2012). It is imperative to find the cure for hypertension in order to save the lives of millions of affected patients all over the world (Kaplan, 2010). Due to advances in the field of genetics, the logical step is to understand the genetic basis of hypertension. However, the complicated nature of hypertension makes it a difficult medical problem to tackle. Thus, in the present time the medical community does not have concrete answers when it comes to the need to unmask the “culprit genes” or the gene responsible for the expression of the said disease.
Problems Encountered
The future discovery of the genetic basis of hypertension will be considered as one of the greatest medical breakthroughs of the 21st century. The successful detection of genes that leads to the development of hypertension enables health experts to develop the appropriate strategies to mitigate the impact of the said disease. However, in the present time, this accomplishment is easier said than done. In fact, there is no agreement within the scientific community as to the root cause of hypertension.
It is extremely difficult to develop the appropriate research design to learn more about the genetic basis of hypertension. Some of the inherent problems include the failure to obtain accurate blood pressure measurements (Berg & Bulyzhenkov, 2012). Problems were also encountered in the use of animals in research. For example, scientists attempting to acquire the BP measurements of rats discovered that blood pressure is a highly labile trait (Berg & Bulyzhenkov, 2012). In the course of the study, BP measurements fluctuated significantly over short periods of time (Berg & Bulyzhenkov, 2012). It is also important to note that in this type of experiments, the study was performed on anesthetized animals (Berg & Bulyzhenkov, 2012). Greater effort is needed to enable the scientific community to discover new research methods that allow scientists to test animals under normal conditions.
Challenges abound with regards to the genomic issues of hypertension. However, these difficulties did not prevent geneticists to use genomics to understand the predisposition of human beings to certain environmental factors that leads to the development of hypertension (Ginsburg & Huntington, 2010).
One of the crucial pieces of scientific data was the discovery that certain individuals are salt-sensitive while others are salt-resistant. Salt-sensitive individuals develop hypertension when they increase the consumption of salt. Salt-resistant individuals on the other hand did not develop hypertension regardless of the levels of salt intake (Ginsburg & Huntington, 2010). In addition, scientists discovered that the genetic make-up of salt-sensitive individuals was the root cause of the problem. Although, researchers concluded that this trait is inherited, little is known when it comes to the mechanism that accounted for salt-sensitivity.
Medical Breakthroughs in the Study of Hypertension
The scientific community continues the fight to understand hypertension. Although they have no answer to several genomic issues that surround the disease, several discoveries were made that brought scientists and medical professionals closer to unlocking the mystery of hypertension. One of the major breakthroughs with regards to the study of the disease was the discovery that the effective reduction of blood pressure in hypertensive patients lowers their susceptibility to major cardiovascular complications (Laragh & Buhler, 2012). In other words, the ability to lower blood pressure in hypertensive people also reduces the probability of suffering from stroke, kidney failure, and heart failure (Laragh & Buhler, 2012). This insight into the nature of the disease enables health experts to provide effective treatment strategies to prolong the life of the patient.
Access to more funding and the capability to attract talented researchers are important considerations to unlock the code that makes hypertension an enigma to the scientific community. There are several factors to consider, and some of the more difficult challenges to overcome are the inherent problems associated with animal experiments. It is important to point out, that research designs that require the extraction of data from human populations are also problematic. It is impossible to separate and isolate various modulators of hypertension (Ginsburg & Huntington, 2010). It is also difficult to isolate environmental factors that affect blood pressure measurements.
Conclusion
It is imperative to utilize genomics to understand the genetic basis of hypertension. Geneticists are in agreement that progress is slow due to the inherent problems associated with the nature of the disease. In addition, researchers experienced great difficulty in extracting data from experiments involving laboratory animals and human populations. Although there is still so much to learn about this disease, the discovery of the impact of genetic makeup with regards to the predisposition of salt-sensitive individuals to develop hypertension was a step in the right direction. It is important to have access to greater research funding and to attract talented researcher to unlock the mystery that makes hypertension an enigma in the scientific community.
References
Berg, K., & Bulyzhenkov (2012). Genetic approaches to coronary heart disease and hypertension. New York: Springer.
Cooper, K. (2013). Overcoming hypertension. New York: Bantam Books.
Flynn, J.(2013). Pediatric hypertension. New York: Springer.
Ginsburg, G., & Huntington, W. (2010). Essentials of genomic and personalized medicine. UK: Academic Press.
Kaplan, N. (2010). Kaplan’s clinical hypertension. PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Laragh, J., & Buhler, F. (2012). Frontiers in hypertension research. New York: Springer.