Hemodynamic and echocardiographic profiles in African American compared with White offspring of hypertensive parents: the HyperGEN study.
BACKGROUND
Alterations in cardiovascular structure and function have been shown to precede the finding of elevated blood pressure.


METHODS
This study is part of the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiologic Network (HyperGEN) in which genetic and environmental determinants of hypertension were investigated in 5 geographical field centers. All nonhypertensive offspring (n = 1,035) were included from the entire HyperGEN study population that consists of 2,225 hypertensive patients and 1,380 nonhypertensive patients who had adequate echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) mass measurements. Participants were compared by self-declared race (African American and white).


RESULTS
Nonhypertensive African American offspring were younger (aged 31 years vs. 38 years), more likely to be female, and had a higher body mass index (BMI) and higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) than their white counterparts. After adjusting for age, sex, SBP, pulse pressure (PP), BMI, diabetes status, and family effects, we observed statistically significant and potentially pathophysiological differences (all with P ≤ 0.001) with greater LV mass/height, relative wall thickness, and posterior wall thickness and with lesser midwall shortening, PP/stroke volume, and (PP/stroke volume)/fat-free body mass.


CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that ethnic differences in hemodynamic and echocardiographic profiles exist in a large, population-based cohort of nonhypertensive offspring of hypertensive parents.
Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.
Stephen P
SP
Glasser
Amy I
AI
Lynch
Richard B
RB
Devereux
Paul
P
Hopkins
Donna K
DK
Arnett
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000235:genetics*; D000368:Aged; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000235:genetics*; D040941:Heredity; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010375:Pedigree; D010641:Phenotype; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult
HyperGEN; blood pressure; echocardiography hypertensive offspring; hypertension; left ventricular mass.