title: Genetic and environmental factors on the relation of lung function and arterial stiffness.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An association between reduced lung function and increased cardiovascular risk has been reported, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the heritability of lung function and to estimate its genetic association with arterial stiffness.
  
  
  METHODS
  150 monozygotic and 42 dizygotic healthy Hungarian and American Caucasian twin pairs (age 43 ± 17 years) underwent spirometry (forced vital capacity/FVC/, forced expiratory volume in 1 s/FEV1/; MIR Minispir, USA); and their brachial and central augmentation indices (AIx), and aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) were measured by oscillometric Arteriograph (TensioMed Ltd, Budapest, Hungary). Phenotypic correlations and bivariate Cholesky decomposition models were applied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age-, sex-, country- and smoking-adjusted heritability of FEV1, percent predicted FEV1, FVC and percent predicted FVC were 73% (95% confidence interval /CI/: 45-85%), 28% (95% CI: 0-67%), 68% (95% CI: 20-81%) and 45% (95% CI: 0-66%), respectively. Measured and percent predicted FVC and FEV1 values showed no significant phenotypic correlations with AIx or aortic PWV, except for phenotypic twin correlations between measured FEV1, FVC with brachial or aortic augmentation indices which ranged between -0.12 and -0.17. No genetic covariance between lung function and arterial stiffness was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lung function is heritable and the measured FVC and FEV are phenotypically, but not genetically, associated with augmentation index, a measure of wave reflection. This relationship may in turn reveal further associations leading to a better mechanistic understanding of vascular changes in various airway diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Oncotherapy, Semmelweis University, 78/a Ulloi Street, Budapest 1082, Hungary. tarnoki4@gmail.com
authors.forename: David Laszlo
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Tarnoki
authors.forename: Adam Domonkos
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Tarnoki
authors.forename: Zsofia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lazar
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Medda
authors.forename: Levente
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Littvay
authors.forename: Rodolfo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cotichini
authors.forename: Corrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fagnani
authors.forename: Maria Antonietta
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Stazi
authors.forename: Lorenza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nisticó
authors.forename: Pierleone
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lucatelli
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Boatta
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zini
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fanelli
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baracchini
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Meneghetti
authors.forename: Gyorgy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jermendy
authors.forename: István
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Préda
authors.forename: Róbert Gábor
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Kiss
authors.forename: Kinga
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Karlinger
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lannert
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schillaci
authors.forename: Andrea Agnes
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Molnar
authors.forename: Zsolt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Garami
authors.forename: Viktor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Berczi
authors.forename: Ildiko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Horvath
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods; D001011:Aorta / Q000502:physiology; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic / Q000235:genetics; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000235:genetics; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D014797:Vital Capacity / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology