Hypertension in both parents was associated with a 2.4-fold higher risk of developing hypertension over adult life compared to having parents without hypertension (HR 2.4; 95% CI 1.8-3.2).
Cohort (n=1,160)
Does parental hypertension increase the risk of developing hypertension and elevated blood pressure over the adult life span in men?
Parental hypertension, particularly when present in both parents or of early onset, is strongly associated with a higher risk of developing hypertension and elevated blood pressure trajectories throughout adult life.
Effect estimate: HR 2.4 (95% CI 1.8-3.2)
BACKGROUND: Parental hypertension is used to classify hypertension risk in young adults, but the long-term association of parental hypertension with blood pressure (BP) change and risk of hypertension over the adult life span has not been well studied. METHODS: We examined the association of parental hypertension with BP change and hypertension risk from young adulthood through the ninth decade of life in a longitudinal cohort of 1160 male former medical students with 54 years of follow-up. RESULTS: In mixed-effects models using 29 867 BP measurements, mean systolic and diastolic BP readings were significantly higher at baseline among participants with parental hypertension. The rate of annual increase was slightly higher for systolic (0.03 mm Hg, P= .04), but not diastolic, BP in those with parental hypertension. After adjustment for baseline systolic and diastolic BP and time-dependent covariates--body mass index, alcohol consumption, coffee drinking, physical activity, and cigarette smoking--the hazard ratio (95% confidence interval CI) of hypertension development was 1.5 (1.2-2.0) for men with maternal hypertension only, 1.8 (1.4-2.4) for men with paternal hypertension only, and 2.4 (1.8-3.2) for men with hypertension in both parents compared with men whose parents never developed hypertension. Early-onset (at age <or=55 years) hypertension in both parents imparted a 6.2-fold higher adjusted risk (95% CI, 3.6-10.7) for the development of hypertension throughout adult life and a 20.0-fold higher adjusted risk (95% CI, 8.4-47.9) at the age of 35 years. CONCLUSION: Hypertension in both mothers and fathers has a strong independent association with elevated BP levels and incident hypertension over the course of adult life.
Nae Yuh Wang (Mon,) conducted a cohort in Hypertension (n=1,160). Parental hypertension vs. Parents without hypertension was evaluated on Hypertension development (HR 2.4, 95% CI 1.8-3.2). Hypertension in both parents was associated with a 2.4-fold higher risk of developing hypertension over adult life compared to having parents without hypertension (HR 2.4; 95% CI 1.8-3.2).