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A SIMPLE blood test will soon allow doctors to identify patients whose
high blood pressure is caused by an inherited sensitivity to salt.

Myriad Genetics, a biotechnology company based in Salt Lake City, Utah, has
announced that it will launch a blood test later this year for a defective gene
linked to salt-sensitive hypertension.

“It identifies those individuals who should be on low-salt diets,” says Peter
Meldrum, the company’s president.

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