Identification of genetic variation predisposing to high blood pressure is an active area of research. Characterization of genes for hypertension may permit focused efforts at primary prevention, may predict responses to pharmacologic interventions, and may identify individuals at risk for target organ damage. To date, genes for several rare types of hypertension have been identified, but such genes appear to play no important role in essential hypertension. Variants of the genes encoding the elements of the renin-angiotensin system have been extensively studied, with inconsistent results. It appears that such variants account for only a small part of blood pressure variation but may identify individuals at risk for blood pressure salt-sensitivity. Further successes in finding genes for hypertension will result from advances in genotyping, improved characterization of environmental factors impacting on genotype variation, and longitudinal studies of the evolution of pre-hypertension to hypertension. (c)2000 by Le Jacq Communications, Inc.