HARP: Hypertension and Ramipril Pharmacogenetics Study

HARP is one of two Pharmacogenetics and Risk of cardiovascular (PARC) Disease Studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD) which was a pilot prospective clinical trial that examined genotypic polymorphisms that might account for differential antihypertensive effects of ACEI among Caucasians and African American.. Currently phenotypic predictors of BP response are available and genetic predictors will be reported in the future. 189 participants were 18 years and older, self-identified their race, and could not have been on antihypertensive medication in the month before enrollment. They received a fixed dose of 10mg ramipril for 8 weeks. Office and ambulatory blood-pressure were measured to compare daytime and nighttime response in both races. The authors found that African Americans had a higher prevalence of nondipping 24-h BP pattern compared to Caucasians while ramipril was more effective overall in lowering daytime blood pressure in Caucasian compared to African Americans. Potassium, sodium, creatinine, aldosterone, ACE activity, and microalbuminuria are available from baseline and follow up.

• Jerome Rotter, LA Biomed, Principal Investigator