August 1, 1984Australian and New Zealand Journal of Medicine
Genetic, Familial and Racial Influences on Blood Pressure Control Systems in Man
Population
Adult identical and fraternal twins, black and white subjects, and first-degree relatives of patients with…
Design
Review
Authors
Discussion
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Implication
Strong genetic BP variability via RAAS; leaves open targeted interventions pending prospective trials.
Key Points
- To review evidence on how genetic, familial, and racial factors regulate blood pressure control systems and renal sodium handling in humans.
- Evaluated families of adult identical twins to partition the influences of age, sex, and body size from genetic contributions to blood pressure variability.
- Assessed renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system parameters and renal sodium excretion across identical twins, fraternal twins, Black and White individuals, and first-degree relatives of hypertensive versus normotensive subjects.
- Genetic factors accounted for at least 63% of blood pressure variability, showing minimal evidence for environmental influence on familial aggregation.
- First-degree relatives of individuals with essential hypertension exhibited significantly higher plasma renin levels and reduced sodium excretion capacity compared to relatives of normotensive controls.
- Black subjects in the United States showed reduced renal sodium excretion and a greater increase in blood pressure following sodium loading compared to White subjects.
Structured PICO
P
Population
Adult identical and fraternal twins, black and white subjects, and first-degree relatives of patients with essential hypertension and normotensive subjects
O
Outcome
Genetic contribution to blood pressure variability, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activity, and renal sodium excretionsurrogate
This review highlights the strong genetic basis of blood pressure variability, mediated through the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and renal sodium handling.
Cite This Study
Grim et al. (1984) studied this question.