Usually, for high blood pressure, a doctor selects a drug and dosage according to a standard scheme, and then observes how the body reacts to the treatment. But in different people, the same drug can work differently. Sechenov University proposed an approach that takes into account the patient's genetic characteristics and helps to more accurately select therapy for blood pressure.
Doctors studied why patients react differently to standard medications for high blood pressure. The study included 179 people with newly diagnosed hypertension who had not previously been treated for this disease.
Before starting therapy, patients underwent genetic testing. Then all participants were prescribed modern drugs to lower blood pressure - irbesartan or valsartan. Some patients received only one drug, while others received combination treatment.
During the work, specialists identified key genetic variants associated with treatment effectiveness. They also identified a marker of increased risk of arterial hypotension when taking irbesartan - the CYP2C9*3 gene variant. In carriers of this variant, the probability of too strong a drop in blood pressure, weakness, and dizziness was significantly higher, so it is preferable for such patients to choose alternative therapy, including valsartan.
Additional analysis showed that for irbesartan, there is a dependence between the drug concentration in the blood and the degree of blood pressure reduction, but it was especially noticeable in the first three weeks of therapy. Later, in some patients, sensitivity to the drug decreased even at comparable concentrations. For valsartan, no such pattern was found.
Based on the data obtained, scientists created and patented an algorithm that helps to select initial therapy more personally - taking into account the characteristics of a particular patient. The results of the study are published in the journal "Pharmacy and Pharmacology".