Researchers report that non-malignant hypertension is not associated with accelerated decline in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in the general middle-aged population. Eriksen et al. identified a mean decline in measured GFR of 0.95 ml/min per year in 1,595 individuals aged 50–62 years who did not have diabetes, kidney or cardiovascular disease at baseline. They found no significant associations between systolic or diastolic blood pressure at baseline and GFR decline, suggesting a role of genetic and environmental factors in the development of chronic kidney disease in patients with hypertension.