title: Early 24-hour blood pressure elevation in normotensive subjects with parental hypertension.
abstract: Subjects with a family history of parental hypertension are reported to have a slightly higher office blood pressure in the prehypertensive stage. Whether this reflects a hyperreactivity to blood pressure measurement or a more permanent blood pressure elevation, however, is not known. In the present study, blood pressure was measured in 15 normotensive subjects whose parents are both hypertensive (FH++), 15 normotensive subjects with one hypertensive parent (FH(+)-), and 15 normotensive subjects whose parents are not hypertensive (FH--); among the three groups, subjects were matched for age, sex, and body mass index. The measurements were made in the office during a variety of laboratory stressors and during a prolonged resting period, and for a 24-hour period (ambulatory blood pressure monitoring). Office blood pressure was higher in the FH++ group than in the FH-- group (p less than 0.05). The pressor responses to laboratory stressors were similar in the two groups, but the FH++ group had higher prolonged resting and 24-hour blood pressure than the FH-- group; the difference was always significant (p less than 0.05) for systolic blood pressure. The FH++ group also had a greater left ventricular mass index (on echocardiographic examination) than the FH-- group (p less than 0.01). The blood pressure values and echocardiographic values of the FH(+)- group tended to be between those of the other two groups. Thus, the higher blood pressure shown by individuals in the prehypertensive stage with a family history of parental hypertension does not reflect a hyperreactivity to stress but an early permanent blood pressure elevation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Centro Auxologico Italiano, Ospedale Maggiore, Milano.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ravogli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Trazzi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Villani
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mutti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cuspidi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sampieri
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Ambroggi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parati
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zanchetti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mancia
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013997:Time Factors