Parental and offspring associations of the metabolic syndrome in the Fels Longitudinal Study.
BACKGROUND
Evidence shows that some causes of the metabolic syndrome (MS) begin in childhood, which could indicate a familial association, through either genetic inheritance or cohabitation.


OBJECTIVE
This study examined associations between parents and adult offspring diagnoses of the MS and its risk factors.


METHODS
Measurements were obtained from adult participants and their adult offspring enrolled in the Fels Longitudinal Study, with simultaneous waist circumference, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), triglycerides, HDL, and glucose observations used for diagnosis. On the basis of repeated measurements (in some cases), adult participants were classified as having the MS at least once or as never having the MS. Chi-square tests, ORs, and mixed-effects models were used to study familial associations.


RESULTS
Maternal (OR: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.1, 5.5) and paternal (OR: 4.1; 95% CI: 1.4, 12.1) MS classifications were significantly associated with MS classification in sons. MS classification in mothers and daughters (OR: 2.7; 95% CI: 0.9, 8.7; P = 0.08) was similar to that in sons but was not significant, whereas fathers and daughters were not associated (OR: 1.1; 95% CI: 0.4, 3.5). Maternal MS diagnoses were significantly and positively associated with triglycerides in male offspring and were significantly associated with SBP, DBP, and triglycerides in females. Paternal diagnoses were significantly associated only with DBP and HDL in male offspring.


CONCLUSIONS
Parental MS diagnosis is significantly associated with MS diagnosis in adult male offspring, and adverse levels of certain risk factors are associated between offspring and parents, although these associations vary across risk factors and child sex.
Department of Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA. rsabo@vcu.edu
Roy T
RT
Sabo
Zheng
Z
Lu
Xiaoyan
X
Deng
Chunfeng
C
Ren
Stephen
S
Daniels
Silva
S
Arslanian
Shumei S
SS
Sun
D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D005192:Family Health; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D009035:Mothers; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055105:Waist Circumference
D001786:Blood Glucose; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D014280:Triglycerides