Heritability of ambulatory and office blood pressure in the Swiss population. Issue 10 (October 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Alwan, Heba; Ehret, Georg; Ponte, Belen; Pruijm, Menno; Ackermann, Daniel; Guessous, Idris; Staessen, Jan A.; Asayama, Kei; Kutalik, Zoltán; Vuistiner, Philippe; Paccaud, Fred; Pechere-Bertschi, Antoinette; Mohaupt, Markus; Vogt, Bruno; Martin, Pierre-Yves; Burnier, Michel; Bochud, Murielle
• Is Part Of: Journal of hypertension. Volume 33:Issue 10(2015:Oct.)
• Publication Date: 2015-10
• Subjects: Hypertension -- Periodicals; Hypertension -- Periodicals; 616.132005
• DOI: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000000681
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1473-5598

Abstract

<abstract> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec> <title>Background:</title> <p>Blood pressure (BP) is known to aggregate in families. Yet, heritability estimates are population-specific and no Swiss data have been published so far. We estimated the heritability of ambulatory and office BP in a Swiss population-based sample.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Methods:</title> <p>The Swiss Kidney Project on Genes in Hypertension is a population-based family study focusing on BP genetics. Office and ambulatory BP were measured in 1009 individuals from 271 nuclear families. Heritability was estimated for SBP, DBP, and pulse pressure using a maximum likelihood method implanted in the Statistical Analysis in Genetic Epidemiology software.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Results:</title> <p>The 518 women and 491 men included in this analysis had a mean (±SD) age of 48.3 (±17.4) and 47.3 (±17.7) years, and a mean BMI of 23.8 (±4.2) and 25.9 (±4.1) kg/m<sup>2</sup>, respectively. Narrow-sense heritability estimates (±standard error) for ambulatory SBP, DBP, and pulse pressure were 0.37 ± 0.07, 0.26 ± 0.07, and 0.29 ± 0.07 for 24-h BP; 0.39 ± 0.07, 0.28 ± 0.07, and 0.27 ± 0.07 for day BP; and 0.25 ± 0.07, 0.20 ± 0.07, and 0.30 ± 0.07 for night BP, respectively (all <italic>P</italic> < 0.001). Heritability estimates for office SBP, DBP, and pulse pressure were 0.21 ± 0.08, 0.25 ± 0.08, and 0.18 ± 0.07 (all <italic>P</italic> < 0.01).</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Conclusions:</title> <p>We found significant heritability estimates for both ambulatory and office BP in this Swiss population-based study. Our findings justify the ongoing search for the genetic determinants of BP.</p> </sec> </abstract>