Researchers have recently identified a gene variant that is believed to contribue to the development of high blood pressure for some people.

The results are available in the current issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and the study’s leader, Yen-Pei Christy Chang, assistant professor of medicine, epidemiology and preventive medicine at the University of Maryland explained that one of the conclusions is that the variant, called STK39, is carried by one in every five white Americans.

Apparently, its effects on people’s blood pressure cannot be considered major, as it increases the levels by 3.3 points, but it has a strong connection with hypertension, bringing in a major risk factor for cardiovascular problems like strokes and heart attacks.

The variant was identified by investigating the members of the genetically homogeneus Old Order Amish community in Pennsylvania, and a new series of tests will follow in order to find the propper medication. The innitial tests were carried out on 542 members of the group, which is considered ideal for such programs, as its members live in a rather isolated environment and mostly share the same lifestyle and diet.

"We're now going back to the Amish again to study how these people react to different hypertension medications," she said, adding that: "This can help us find the best medication for hypertension in individual cases." She concluded by saying that once the variant will be fully understood, the data will represent a great help for personalized medicine which will lead to a minimum risk for the patients with these conditions.