Key result
African Americans with family CVD history show lower arterial dilation versus European Americans, suggesting early endothelial dysfunction.
Why the study?
Few studies have used diverse measures to examine differences in macrovascular function and structure in individuals with a family history of cardiovascular disease.
Does African American ethnicity compared to European American ethnicity affect endothelial-dependent vasodilation and hemodynamics in young normotensive individuals with a family history of CVD?
Cross-Sectional (n=254)
Does African American ethnicity compared to European American ethnicity affect endothelial-dependent vasodilation and hemodynamics in young normotensive individuals with a family history of CVD?
Young, normotensive African Americans with a family history of CVD show early-onset endothelial dysfunction and higher blood pressure compared to European Americans, independent of arterial stiffness.
Hypothesis-generating for ethnic disparities in early endothelial function; prospective studies needed before clinical risk stratification.
Normotensive African Americans (AAs) show attenuated vascular responses and reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability compared to European Americans (EAs). Few studies have used diverse measures to examine differences in macrovascular function and structure in individuals with a family history of CV disease (CVD). We assessed 150 AAs (M age , 23.57 ± 2.73 yr) and 104 EAs (Mage, 22.70 ± 2.86) with a confirmed family history of CVD. Age, sex, body mass index, and father's education were used as covariates, hemodynamic measures (heart‐rate [HR], stroke volume [SV], cardiac output [CO], total peripheral resistance [TPR], mean arterial pressure [MAP], systolic and diastolic blood pressure [SBP/DBP], and pulse pressure [PP]), high‐frequency heart‐rate variability [HF‐HRV], and endothelial‐dependent arterial dilation [EDAD] were the dependent variables. AA's had lower EDAD (11.64 vs. 13.20%) and higher HF‐HRV (7.31 vs. 7.11 ms 2 ), TPR (17.60 vs. 15.93 mmHg/L/min), TPI (33.72 vs. 30.09 mmHg/L/min/m 2 ), MAP (83.60 vs. 78.36 mmHg), SBP (115.44 vs. 110.23 mmHg), and DBP (65.35 vs. 60.57 mmHg). Lower EDAD alongside no ethnic differences in PP, HR, or SV suggests early onset endothelial dysfunction (lower NO availability) rather than inherited pathophysiological structural characteristics (arterial stiffness) in AAs. Future prospective studies are needed and should consider measures of sympathetic activity and potential moderators, including discrimination.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Thayer et al. (2025) conducted a cross-sectional in Family history of cardiovascular disease (n=254). African American race/ethnicity vs. European American race/ethnicity was evaluated on Endothelial-dependent arterial dilation (EDAD). African Americans with a family history of CVD had lower endothelial-dependent arterial dilation compared to European Americans (11.64% vs. 13.20%), suggesting early onset endothelial dysfunction.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: