Evaluation of Renin, Aldosterone, Angiotensin, and Lipid Metabolism Genes and Genotype-Phenotype Relationship in Childhood Primary Hypertension Pathogenesis

Objective: Childhood primary hypertension has been increasing in parallel with the increase in obesity prevalence in recent years. Hypertension is a polygenic disease in which epigenetic changes are also effective. In this study, factors and gene polymorphisms in hypertension etiology were evaluated. Methods: Age, gender, body mass index, family history, blood glucose and lipid levels, blood pressure measurements and percentiles at the time of diagnosis, post-treatment blood pressure controls, and target organ involvement were examined. Polymorphisms of ACE, renin, angiotensin, aldosterone, FABP2, and ApoB100 were evaluated. Results: A total of 100 patients, 50 patients (group 1) and 50 healthy controls (group 2), were included in the study. In terms of age distribution, the patient and control groups were not similar (P =.040). Distributions by gender were similar. While the mean height as one of the anthropometric values of both groups was statistically similar, the body mass index of Group 1 was significantly higher than the control group (P <.001). In the biochemical tests, only the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) mean of Group 1 was significantly lower than that of Group 2 (P <.001). When the distribution difference of ACE, renin, angiotensin, aldosterone, FABP2, and ApoB100 polymorphism was examined, no statistically significant difference was observed. Conclusion: In this study ACE, renin, angiotensin, aldosterone, FABP2, and ApoB100 gene polymorphisms were not identified as risk factors in existing pathways.