Family patterns of arterial stiffness across three generations in the Malmö Offspring Study

Abstract

Background: Central haemodynamics have in recent years emerged as a promising predictor of cardiovascular health and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Central haemodynamics are affected early in the development of vascular aging and contributes to target organ damage. Carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (c-f PWV), augmentation index (Aix) and central SBP (cSBP) are variables that reflect arterial stiffness and central haemodynamics. Aim: To study the association between patterns of central haemodynamics across three related generations focusing on c-f PWV. Methods: In all, 1131 participants from the Malmö Diet Cancer Study (MDCS) and Malmö Offspring Study (MOS) were included. c-f PWV was measured (Sphygmocor) in grandparents and in all offsprings. Correlation analyses of c-f PWV between offspring and c-f PWV in parents and grandparents were conducted. Parents and grandparents were stratified into quartiles by c-f PWV. Offspring c-f PWV means were compared with one-way ANOVA analyses. Multiple regression analyses were adjusted for age, sex, BMI, SBP and fasting glucose. Bonferroni corrections were used. Results: c-f PWV in offsprings was positively correlated with c-f PWV in parents (r = 0.26, P < 0.001) and in grandparents (r = 0.29, P < 0.001). Parents with high c-f PWV had offspring with significantly higher means of c-f PWV. Conclusion: A measure of aortic stiffness (c-f PWV) is positively correlated across three related generations in this population-based study.

Effect of parental arterial stiffness in offspring: the Kailuan study

“…We found that the paternal baPWV were positively correlated with the baPWV in offspring, an increase of 1 cm/s in the paternal baPWV resulted in an increase of 0.05 cm/s in offspring. Our findings were consistent with the results of LSAC and Malmo study showing that in people from Caucasus, an increase of 1 cm/s in the baPWV in parent resulted in an increase of 0.14, 0.12 cm/s in offspring, respectively [10,15]. The results of studies in the United States and Taiwan China on the heritability of arterial stiffness between parent and offspring showed that the modest heritable relationships, with heritability of PWV and baPWV was 0.29 and 0.19 after adjusting for multiple covariates [7,8].…”

Birth Weight in Relation to Post-Natal Growth Patterns as Predictor of Arterial Stiffness and Central Hemodynamics in Young Adults from a Population-based Study

“…Malmö Offspring Study is an ongoing cohort study that started in 2013 at the Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden. The study consists of children and grandchildren to subjects from the cardiovascular arm of the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study [24]. In addition, birth weight and gestational age data were derived from the Swedish Medical Birth Register (MBR), a national register collecting birth characteristic data from obstetrics clinics of all registered newborns since 1973, previously used in MOS [22].…”