Heritability and intrafamilial aggregation of arterial characteristics

Abstract

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.

Heritability of central blood pressure and arterial stiffness

“…The heritabilities of aorto-radial and aorto-dorsalis-pedis PWV were reported to be 43 and 53%, respectively, in a sample of young American twins [50]. On the background of these studies, our findings show a moderate genetic effect on arterial stiffness in a relatively large wide-age ranged twin sample, comparable to other smaller or restricted age-ranged studies [35,[47][48][49][50]. Overall, heritability of aortic stiffness was found to be of the same magnitude as that of BP, although arterial stiffness is influenced by the cumulative effects of BP and additional risk factors on the stiff and elastic components of the arterial wall.…”

“…In that study, however, only female twin pairs were involved [47]. Significant intrafamilial concordance and heritability for brachial and central AIx and for central PP and mean arterial pressure ranging between 37 and 41% were reported in a family-based population study measured sphygmomanometrically [48].…”

Reference Values of Pulse Wave Velocity in Healthy People from an Urban and Rural Argentinean Population

“…Several studies have shown a significant hereditary burden on several indexes of arterial function independently of blood pressure values and there is an association between PWV and genetic polymorphisms [6, 33, 34]. Both associations justify analyzing a redefinition of the inclusion criteria to define a population as the reference standard.…”

Association of central and peripheral pulse pressure with intermediate cardiovascular phenotypes

“…These findings in our normotensive study participants could indicate early vascular ageing [29] and support a role of genetic factors in the development of vascular stiffness [30,31]. Despite its crosssectional nature the cohort displays different stages of the hypertension continuum.…”