title: Analysis of the distribution of erythrocyte sodium lithium countertransport in a sample representative of the general population.
abstract: Numerous studies of sodium-lithium countertransport (Na-Li CNT) have reported higher rates in essential hypertensives versus normotensive controls. We studied the distribution and the mode of inheritance of Na-Li CNT using a sample of 238 unrelated individuals and a sample of 245 individuals in 50 pedigrees all sampled from the population at large. The distribution of Na-Li CNT is continuous and bimodal. Our results indicate that there is a large genetic contribution to the distribution of Na-Li CNT. The hypothesis that the effect that causes bimodality is transmitted from generation to generation is supported by the fit to these data of a restricted transmission model with tau 2 = 0.749. We hypothesize that this deviation of tau 2 from its Mendelian expectation may be attributable to heterogeneity in the etiology of the bimodality in the Na-Li CNT distribution in the population at large.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001692:Biological Transport; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood; D008094:Lithium / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008957:Models, Genetic; D012964:Sodium / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D008094:Lithium; D012964:Sodium