Professor Trevor Mori from the University of Western Australia has been awarded $812,785 from the Future Health Research and Innovation Fund’s Western Australian Cohort Research Research Support Program.

The project is a collaboration between Professor Mori from UWA’s School of Medicine, Associate Professor Jun Yang and her team from the Hudson Institute for Medical Research (Victoria), and researchers from Monash University (Victoria) and the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute (Victoria). This is based on joint research with. University of Tasmania Menzies Medical Research Institute and Princess Alexandra Hospital (Queensland).

Using two generations of data from the Raine study, Professor Mori and team will investigate the causes of primary hyperaldosteronism, a common and potentially preventable cause of cardiovascular disease.

Primary hyperaldosteronism, which is responsible for the hidden illness of more than half a million people in Australia, is a type of high blood pressure caused by overactive adrenal glands that produce too much aldosterone. Aldosterone is a salt-retaining hormone that is important for salt balance, but when produced in excess, it is harmful to the heart, kidneys, and brain.

Approximately 6 million adults in Australia have high blood pressure, and approximately 1 in 10 of these have primary hyperaldosteronism. Primary hyperaldosteronism is underdiagnosed in the community, but once identified, it can be effectively treated. It is unclear how the disease progresses over time and affects health, or whether genetics play a role.

Professor Mori’s study will measure markers in blood samples from 1,500 34-year-old Reign study participants and 2,500 of their parents. The results will help researchers assess the relationship between indicators of primary hyperaldosteronism and cardiovascular health across two generations. By comparing a 34-year-old participant’s data from ages 17 and 27, researchers learned how these markers change over time and how genetics plays a role in primary hyperaldosteronism. We will find out whether it is contributing.

These results are the first to determine the prevalence of primary hyperaldosteronism in the Western Australian population and its impact on health from an early age.

The Perth-based Raine Study is one of the largest and longest-running studies of human health from pregnancy to adulthood conducted anywhere in the world. Since 1989, participants in the Rain Study have provided researchers with a strong foundation of population health data collected at different points in time from her four generations of the same family. The Raine study is uniquely positioned to help researchers gain insight into the impact of early life events, interventions, and risk factors on health and disease throughout the lifespan.

Prof. Mori’s research results will increase awareness of treatable diseases and facilitate diagnosis in Washington state’s health care system. This research not only directly benefits consumers and improves the skills of healthcare professionals, but also aids in early intervention to minimize cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients.

The Raine study is one of three cohort studies funded through the Future Health Research and Innovation Fund’s First Western Australian Cohort Studies Research Support Program (FHRI WACS-RSP). FHRI WACS-RSP provides funding for up to three years to population health research projects that use data and biospecimens from Washington state’s largest cohort study.