Family History Studies in Hypertension Research Review of the Literature

Reviewed in the present article are over 150 family history studies of essential hypertension. By comparing normotensive individuals with and without a family history of hypertension, these investigations seek to identify potential pathophysiologic factors that predate the development of high blood pressure. The research literatures summarized here represent four general areas: 1) cellular salt trans port mechanisms, 2) dietary sodium, intravascular volume, and renal function, 3) cardiovascular morphology and physiology, and 4) cardiovascular reactivity