Blood Pressure Pills: Are you taking too much?
High BP, which is also called ‘the Silent Killer’ is one of those conditions that is treated with more medicines than needed. This is because some of them work for you, but others don’t, but no one knows which ones suit you. Except your genes! This test is for you:
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High BP: controlled and uncontrolled
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Risk of heart disease or stroke
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Risk of Hypertension
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Taking a concoction of drugs
Take only medicine that works for you. Apart from immediate savings on pharmacy bills, you’ll also avoid long-term side-effects such as Diabetes and others.
High blood pressure is the largest cause of death worldwide and is called ‘the Silent Killer’. It is thus very important to keep your BP under control. The test is useful for the most common classes of blood pressure lowering medicines such as beta-blockers and diuretics. Long term use of beta-blockers can further lead to diabetes. Only some people respond well to certain classes of BP drugs based on their genetic makeup. The report will predict your response to anti-BP medicines and suggest suitable courses of therapy in terms of which drugs, dosage or alternatives may be effective in controlling your BP.
FAQ Diuretics
When are diuretics not beneficial?
Studies so far indicate that people with one or two copies of the normal allele will benefit from thiazide diuretics, but those with two copies of the variant allele may not have the same benefits.
Is this test for all diuretics in general?
All studies have been done only using thiazide diuretics, e.g. hydrochlorothiazide. We cannot comment on the benefits of this test for other diuretics, such as loop diuretics.
Should I stop taking diuretics or change to something else?
Consult your doctor with the report, who is best positioned to advise you regarding therapeutic actions with your whole clinical and family history in mind.
FAQ Beta-blockers
With normal ADRB1, should I be worried about hypertension?
No. Compared to people with variants, normal beta-blocker function slightly predisposes to hypertension. In fact, this constitutes about half of the population.
Should I use beta-blockers if I have a variant genotype?
Not necessarily. People with only one copy of the variant, heterozygous, may still benefit from beta-blockers. Whereas, in people with two copies of the variant, homozygous, the risks of developing diabetes may outweigh any benefit from beta-blockers.
Should I stop taking beta-blockers or switch to another drug?
Consult your doctor with the report, who is best positioned to advise you regarding therapeutic actions with your whole clinical and family history in mind.
Science
Genes tested: ADRB1 and NEDD4L
Common mutations in the above genes affect 1 in 2 people – this is so frequent that the popular BP lowering medicines prove to be ineffective in these people. This is because, these mutations affect the exact pathway that’s also targeted by the drugs. In effect, the BP is not properly regulated as the medicine is of no benefit to them. Identifying these mutations is thus critical in guiding appropriate anti-hypertensives for people with high blood pressure.
References
Dahlberg J et al. 2014, Journal of Hypertension
McDonough CW et al. 2013, Journal of Hypertension
Fiuzat M et al. 2013, European Journal of Heart Failure
Wang H et al. 2013, Molecular Biology Reports
Patrik SF et al. 2011, Journal of Hypertension
Luo F et al. 2009, Hypertension
Chen L et al. 2007, Pharmacogenetics and Genomics
Liggett SB et al. 2006, Proceedings of National Academy of Science of USA