Hypertension is a recognized risk factor for kidney disease progression and cardiovascular events including stroke, heart failure and myocardial infarction. At KHRC, we are working to generate the evidence required to design a personalized approach to the treatment of hypertension. Optimal management of hypertension must account for individualized biological, environmental and system factors. Therefore, our work focuses on understanding the unique characteristics that contribute to hypertension-associated risk in special populations such as young adults, African Americans, persons with kidney disease, and elders. Our goal is to apply this knowledge to design the most effective treatment strategies. We envision individualized treatment strategies to maximize the benefits of blood pressure treatment while minimizing the risks of over-treatment.

Our current work uses novel measures of cardiac and vascular function to optimize hypertension treatment in high risk groups. We are also interested in the biology of the vascular system and alterations to cardiac and vascular function at all stages of kidney disease. We have ongoing clinical studies measuring cardiac function and vascular function in persons with early kidney damage and persons on dialysis