MN blood group, a genetic marker for essential arterial hypertension in young adults

The MN blood group has been linked with blood pressure levels and sodium-lithium counter-transport in red blood cells of normotensives. The aim of the study was to compare the distribution of MN phenotypes according to age at diagnosis of essential hypertension and to investigate the relationship between MN phenotypes, severity of complications and therapeutic needs. MN blood group polymorphism was studied in 386 Caucasians with established essential arterial hypertension, treated for at least one year. In 285 healthy normotensive blood donors, blood pressure was measured and MN blood group was typed. MN blood groups were typed with polyclonal antisera and confirmed with monoclonal antisera. MN blood group phenotype frequencies in hypertensives were 0.207 (MM), 0.601 (MN), and 0.192 (NN), which differs (P < 0.000002) from the distribution in the controls: 0.270 (MM), 0.540 (MN) and 0.189 (NN). The relative MN phenotype frequency was strongly over-represented (P < 0.05). Age at detection of hypertension was significantly lower for MN patients (P < 0.0005). With increasing age of detection, the relative frequency of MN phenotype gradually decreases from 0.73 in those detected before age 40 to 0.50 for patients detected after age 60. This observation holds true for both male and female hypertensives. Furthermore, hypertensives with an MM blood group had a lower (P < 0.05) prevalence of cerebrovascular accidents. In controls, blood pressure was comparable for the three MN phenotypes. The present study suggests that the MN phenotype is a genetic factor associated with early detection of essential hypertension.