Psychosocial stress but not hypertensive status associated with angiogenesis in Africans.

Aim: Increased angiogenic factors [vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2)] have been associated with vascular dysfunction and hypertension. Black Africans undergoing rapid urbanization present with elevated blood pressure (BP) and we aimed to determine whether angiogenic factors are elevated in urban versus rural Africans with normal and elevated BP.

Methods And Materials: Africans (n = 272), matched for gender and age, were recruited from rural and urban communities in South Africa.