Immediate gene results did not improve blood pressure overall
At three months, the adjusted difference in systolic blood pressure change was minus 0.3 mm Hg for immediate versus delayed genetic results.
3 months, multicenter
The randomized trial enrolled 1,874 adults with hypertension and self-reported African ancestry. Participants were assigned to receive genetic results immediately or at trial completion. The results informed recommendations on choosing thiazide diuretics, a class of blood pressure drugs, and dosing hydralazine, another blood pressure drug.
At three months, immediate results did not improve systolic blood pressure, the top number in a reading, overall. The adjusted difference versus delayed results was -0.3 mm Hg; the range of likely values included no difference. In a prespecified subgroup of 867 people with a gene variant predicting a weaker response to thiazide drugs, immediate results lowered systolic pressure by 2.46 mm Hg more than delayed results. Among 659 participants with uncontrolled blood pressure at baseline, the reduction was 2.9 mm Hg greater.
Why it matters
Hypertension care is relevant to health as people age. The authors called for future studies focused on people with uncontrolled blood pressure and gene variants that could guide prescribing.
Caveats
The reported outcome was blood pressure at three months, and improvements appeared only in prespecified subgroups. Participants all had hypertension and self-reported African ancestry; the abstract did not report harms.
From the paper
- Result
The covariate-adjusted change in SBP similarly did not show a difference between groups (−0.2 ± 0.78 mm Hg, 95% CI: −1.7, 1.4).
Quoted word for word from the full text on ascpt.onlinelibrary.wiley.com.
The paper
University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy
Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Oct 18, 2026
