We applied appropriate statistical methods to analyze the association of occupational stress and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene polymorphism with the presence of hypertension.
This provides a mechanistic basis to understand the hypertension associated with loss-of-function polymorphisms in GR in the context of habitually high salt intake.
We hypothesized that HDAC inhibition (HDACi) decreased transcriptional activity of glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which ameliorates hypertension and hyperglycemia in patients with CS.
We recommend determination of the 24-h urinary free cortisol excretion and sequencing of the NR3C1 gene in patients with hyperandrogenism and/or hypertension of unknown origin.
We propose thus that GR haploinsufficiency compromises glucocorticoid sensitivity and may represent a novel genetic cause of subclinical hypercortisolism, incidentally revealed bilateral adrenal hyperplasia and mineralocorticoid-independent hypertension.
Thus, reduced GR density balanced by HPA activation leaves glucocorticoid functions unaffected but mineralocorticoid functions increased, causing hypertension.
The NR3C1N363S variant is associated with obesity and overweight in a range of patient settings but is not associated with hypertension or type 2 diabetes.
For instance, the BclI polymorphism within the intron upstream of GR exon 2 has been associated with cardiovascular risk factors such as visceral obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance, and elevated cortisol concentrations.
Studies in humans have associated glucocorticoid receptor (GR) polymorphisms with high blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, body mass index, increased visceral fat, and variations in tissue-specific steroid sensitivity.
Cross-sectional analyses are reasonably powerful, require no knowledge of mode of transmission and have been used to show the association of variants of the insulin receptor, dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase-1 and glucocorticoid receptor genes with hypertension, using relatively low numbers of subjects having a strong genetic component to their elevated blood pressure.