METABOLIC CHARACTERISTICS OF HYPERTENSION - IMPORTANCE OF POSITIVE FAMILY HISTORY

This study was performed to compare metabolic and endocrine characteri stics of untreated hypertensive patients and normal controls. Measurem ents were made in age-matched, body mass index (BMI) matched, normoten sive patients with (n = 40; age = 53; BMI = 28) and without (n = 39; a ge = 54; BMI = 27) a family history of hypertension and hypertensive p atients with (n = 38; age = 53; BMI = 28) and without (n = 25; age = 5 4; BMI = 29) a family history of hypertension. Norepinephrine, renin a ctivity, and total cholesterol blood concentrations were similar in no rmotensive patients with a positive family history of hypertension and in hypertensive patients with or without a family history. Similarly there were no differences in plasma insulin concentrations or insulin/ glucose ratios between the normotensive patients with a family history of hypertension and hypertensive patients with or without a family hi story. But in all three groups the values were significantly greater ( at least p < 0.05 for each) than in the normotensive patients without a family history. Increases in systolic blood pressure during treadmil l testing were 51 +/- 4 mm Hg in the normotensive patients with a fami ly history, 50 +/- 3 mm Hg in hypertensives with a family history, and 45 +/- 5 mm Hg in hypertensives without a family history; these chang es were all less (p < 0.05 for each) than in normotensives without a f amily history (65 +/- 3 mm Hg). Together, these findings indicate that patients with a family history of hypertension, regardless of whether their own blood pressures are normal or high, exhibit clinical charac teristics that may be predictive of an increased risk of cardiovascula r events.