Heritability and intrafamilial aggregation of arterial characteristics.
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.
Seidlerová
Jitka
J
The Studies Coordinating Centre, Division of Hypertension and Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Bochud
Murielle
M
Staessen
Jan A
JA
Cwynar
Marcin
M
Dolejsová
Milena
M
Kuznetsova
Tatiana
T
Nawrot
Tim
T
Olszanecka
Agnieszka
A
Stolarz
Katarzyna
K
Thijs
Lutgarde
L
Wojciechowska
Wiktoria
W
Struijker-Boudier
Harry A
HA
Kawecka-Jaszcz
Kalina
K
Elston
Robert C
RC
Fagard
Robert
R
Filipovský
Jan
J
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