title: Genetic factors that predispose the child to develop hypertension.
abstract: Familial aggregation, population, and twin studies all point to important genetic influences on the level of blood pressure in childhood and adolescence. Whether a major gene effect operates during childhood has not been determined. The investigation of polygenic paths leads to the study of variables such as ion transport and reactivity paths that appear to be under strong genetic influences. The evidence suggests that abnormalities in these paths might be linked to a prehypertensive state. Univariate genetic analyses of systolic and diastolic blood pressure show that a significant portion of the variability of these variables is under genetic control. Moreover, during early adolescence, boys differ from girls in the regulation of their resting blood pressure. Multivariate genetic analyses show that in these young adolescents, genetic paths shared with body mass index appear to influence systolic but not diastolic blood pressure. The genetic relationship between systolic and diastolic blood pressure appears largely to be independent of body mass index. Genetic studies can partition the genetic and environmental influences on blood pressure and identify shared paths with variables previously believed to be linked epidemiologically. This information may have the capacity to be the framework for public health guidelines developed to lower the incidence of adult hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Schieken
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004200:Diseases in Twins; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012964:Sodium