MicroRNAs in Pediatric Primary Hypertension: Promising Biomarkers or Context-Dependent Regulators?—A Narrative Review

Hypertension affects approximately 1.4 billion people worldwide. It is worth noting that it is also found in approximately 4% of children, with about half of pediatric patients having primary hypertension. Despite its widespread prevalence, the pathogenesis of primary hypertension remains poorly understood. Among the many hypotheses, research into epigenetic factors, primarily microRNA, has gained momentum in recent years. The role of microRNA is to bind to mRNA and thus influence protein translation. It is postulated that the main sites where microRNA influences blood pressure are the vascular wall, vascular smooth muscle cells, and the kidney. Many microRNAs have been identified whose importance in primary hypertension development has been demonstrated in experimental and human studies. This article discusses in detail the significance of microRNA-16, -21, -27a, -27b, -133a, and -145. It presents the current state of knowledge, as well as the challenges, limitations, and uncertainties regarding the use of these fascinating molecules as biomarkers and in potential therapy. MicroRNAs are an extremely promising area of research into the pathogenesis of primary hypertension. However, we still do not know whether they will prove to be a promising biomarker of primary hypertension.