title: Heritability and intrafamilial aggregation of arterial characteristics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We investigated the heritability and familial aggregation of various indexes of arterial stiffness and wave reflection and we partitioned the phenotypic correlation between these traits into shared genetic and environmental components.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a family-based population sample, we recruited 204 parents (mean age, 51.7 years) and 290 offspring (29.4 years) from the population in Cracow, Poland (62 families), Hechtel-Eksel, Belgium (36), and Pilsen, the Czech Republic (50). We measured peripheral pulse pressure (PPp) sphygmomanometrically at the brachial artery; central pulse pressure (PPc), the peripheral augmentation indexes (PAIxs) and central augmentation indexes (CAIxs) by applanation tonometry at the radial artery; and aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) by tonometry or ultrasound. In multivariate-adjusted analyses, we used the ASSOC and PROC GENMOD procedures as implemented in SAGE and SAS, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found significant heritability for PAIx, CAIx, PPc and mean arterial pressure ranging from 0.37 to 0.41; P < or = 0.0001. The method of intrafamilial concordance confirmed these results; intrafamilial correlation coefficients were significant for all arterial indexes (r > or = 0.12; P < or = 0.02) with the exception of PPc (r = -0.007; P = 0.90) in parent-offspring pairs. The sib-sib correlations were also significant for CAIx (r = 0.22; P = 0.001). The genetic correlation between PWV and the other arterial indexes were significant (rhoG > or = 0.29; P < 0.0001). The corresponding environmental correlations were only significantly positive for PPp (rhoE = 0.10, P = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The observation of significant intrafamilial concordance and heritability of various indexes of arterial stiffness as well as the genetic correlations among arterial phenotypes strongly support the search for shared genetic determinants underlying these traits.
authors.affiliation: The Studies Coordinating Centre, Division of Hypertension and Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jitka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seidlerová
authors.forename: Murielle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bochud
authors.forename: Jan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Staessen
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cwynar
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dolejsová
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuznetsova
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nawrot
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Olszanecka
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stolarz
authors.forename: Lutgarde
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thijs
authors.forename: Wiktoria
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wojciechowska
authors.forename: Harry A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Struijker-Boudier
authors.forename: Kalina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawecka-Jaszcz
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Elston
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fagard
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Filipovský
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001011:Aorta / Q000502:physiology; D001158:Arteries / Q000502:physiology*; D001530:Belgium; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000235:genetics*; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000502:physiology; D018153:Czech Republic; D004777:Environment; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D011044:Poland; D011673:Pulsatile Flow / Q000502:physiology; D017534:Radial Artery / Q000502:physiology