目的 原发性高血压是世界上公认的多基因疾病.尽管人类基因组计划的完成大大加快了许多单基因疾病的基因的鉴定,但与原发性高血压相关基因的克隆仍然是生物医学研究面临的巨大挑战,其日益高涨的发病率及心血管并发症的高死亡率向人们提出了一个非常紧迫的问题,即怎样才能有效鉴定原发性高血压这个多基因疾病的相关基因.早在一百多年前,研究者就发现高血压有着明显的性别差异.并且,在许多少数民族人群中,男性与女性相比,不仅有着有着较高的平均生理血压值,而且还有着较高的高血压发病率.使男性有着较高生理血压值的基因或遗传多态性可能是高血压的易感因素,而激素相关基因或印迹基因则被认为参与了生理血压和高血压的性别差异的形成.此外,在临床实践中,血压的性别差异对促高血压药物或抗高血压药物的反应也有着显著的临床意义.因此,较好地了解血压的性别差异的分子遗传学可以有效地完成高血压形成相关基因鉴定,并最终促进高血压病的诊断和治疗的发展.本文主要揭示了血压的性别差异现象及其在基础血压研究和高血压相关的临床实践中的影响.“,”The ever-increasing incidence of hypertension and the high death rate of cardiovascular diseases raise an issue of how to efficiently identify genes associated with the polygenic diseases of hypertension. Significant gender differences in hypertension have been recognized over one hundred years. Males have higher average values of blood pressure as well as higher incidence of hypertension as compared to females in many ethnic groups. Genes or genetic polymorphisms governing the higher normal value of blood pressure in males may be the susceptible factors of hypertension. Hormone related genes or imprinting genes are considered as involvement in the development of gender differences of normal blood pressure and hypertension. The gender differences in responding to pro-hypertensive or anti-hypertensive agents have clinical implications in clinical practice. Additionally, better understanding the molecular genetics of normal blood pressure differences between genders may yield the identification of genes associated with the development of hypertension and eventually benefit to the diagnosis and therapeutics of hypertension.