Hypertension grant

High blood pressure occurs in at least 25 percent of the adult population and often goes undiagnosed and untreated until a serious medical problem develops. If left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to cardiovascular disease, stroke, heart attack and end-stage kidney disease. U.Va. pathologist Robin A. Felder and colleagues, armed with a new $1.2 million grant from the NIH's National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute, will look for a genetic cause for high blood pressure or the propensity to develop it. In addition, Felder will study salt-sensitive hypertension to determine why, in some people, a high salt diet causes elevated blood pressure, while in others, there is no relationship between salt intake and blood pressure levels.