The atrial natriuretic peptide gene and essential hypertension in African-Caribbeans from St Vincent and the Grenadines

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) which alters sodium balance, blood volume and vascular tone represents an important candidate for investigating the genetic basis of essential hypertension (EH). Accordingly, we have studied Bgl 1 and Xho 1 restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of the ANP gene in 147 hypertensive, 141 normotensive and 67 population-based control subjects from a homogenous population of West African origin from St Vincent and the Grenadines. We found no association of either Bgl 1 and Xho 1 RFLPs with EH. This study suggests that the ANP locus may not exert a major gene effect on EH amongst the black people of St Vincent and the Grenadines.