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HYPERTENSION

Albuminuria as a cause of hypertension

A genetic study using a Mendelian randomization approach provides evidence that albuminuria — as well as being the result of hypertension — might also cause hypertension and cardiometabolic disease. We suggest that a mechanism behind these findings could involve sodium retention by urinary protein-induced activation of the epithelial sodium channel in the distal tubule.

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Fig. 1: Association of albuminuria with incident disease end points plotted against association of genetic predisposition to increased albuminuria with incident disease.

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Correspondence to Ron T. Gansevoort or Harold Snieder.

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Gansevoort, R.T., Snieder, H. Albuminuria as a cause of hypertension. Nat Rev Nephrol 15, 6–8 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-018-0073-8

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