REN and Hypertension: Gender-related and age-dependent differences in blood pressure levels have been the subject of multiple clinical and epidemiological studies over the past decades.33-36 The risk of hypertension in females increases with age and becomes more prevalent among women after 59 years of age than among men, probably due to changes related to the menopause.37 The mechanisms involved are complicated, including activation of the renin–angiotensin system, the impact of progesterone and aldosterone, leptin levels and the regulation of oestrogen.38-42