Race, Hormone Affect Blood Pressure Drugs

Race affects which drug combinations will control high blood pressure best for each person, new research finds. And a hormone called renin may help to guide decisions about the best drugs for each patient. These are among the results of new studies in the American Journal of Hypertension. Renin levels help determine whether high blood pressure is caused mainly by squeezing of blood vessel walls or by too much fluid. One study of 954 people focused on renin. People with low levels responded well to diuretics. These drugs remove extra fluid in the blood. But people with high renin levels did better with ACE inhibitors. These drugs relax blood vessels. Another study found that blacks had low renin levels and did better with diuretics. South Asians had good results with an ACE inhibitor and a drug called a calcium channel blocker. Blacks did worse with this combination.