Did you know that hypertension is the most common reason for which an adult American seeks health care? As more Americans suffer from the ill-effects of obesity, the incidence of hypertension is also increasing. At present, one of every three Americans has hypertension, but sadly, 30 percent of them are not aware of their disease. No wonder hypertension is called a silent killer, as by the time a person wakes up to his/her disease, the illness has already adversely affected their health. Hypertension is the single most important risk factor for stroke, the most common risk factor for heart disease and a leading cause of kidney disease.
In 1983, Dr. Stephen Turner, along with other Mayo Clinic investigators launched a multidisciplinary research collaboration between the University of Michigan and Mayo Clinic, called the Rochester Family Heart Study, which continues to this day.
Dr. Turner dedicated his career to understanding the genetic basis of essential hypertension (high blood pressure with no identifiable cause). Apparently, he is now an internationally recognized expert in a field that includes nephrologists, cardiologists, endocrinologists, radiologists, geneticists and epidemiologists.
If your parents had or have hypertension, you would do well to read up on this research and its findings, well-presented on Discovery’s Edge, Mayo Clinic’s Online Research Magazine.
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