Hypertension gene search narrowed

STANFORD, Calif., Jan. 24 (UPI) -- California researchers have narrowed down the search for genes that contribute to increased hypertension in African-Americans.

The Stanford University School of Medicine researchers said finding such a gene could have several benefits for African-Americans and other ethnic groups for new drugs or treatments to keep blood pressure under control.

"These regions have hundreds of genes, so it will take some time to whittle it down," said Neil Risch, a University of California at San Francisco geneticist who did the work while at Stanford University.

The study by Risch and Xiaofeng Zhu, of Loyola University Medical Center, is published in the online issue of Nature Genetics.