Pathophysiology and treatment implications of hypertension in the African-American population.

Regardless of the etiology, hypertension remains a major public health problem in African-Americans and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Additional data on the pathophysiology of this disease in this population are needed, as are data on the best therapies to decrease the high complication rate. Because many of the large studies on hypertension have included few African-Americans, recruitment of this ethnic group into clinical trials should be promoted. Further studies into the genetic factors in the pathophysiology of racial differences in hypertension may shed more light on this complex issue.