FAMILY HISTORY AS A PREDICTOR OF BLOOD-PRESSURE IN A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN

Background Sex both of parent and of child might influence association s between parental hypertension and blood pressure in offspring. Objec tive To examine these associations. Design A cohort of Australians was surveyed 3-yearly from age 9 to 18 years. Setting A community-based s ample. Participants When they were aged 18 years, 630 of 1565 particip ants who had been selected randomly at the age of 9 years were re-surv eyed. Main outcome measures Systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Re sults Paternal hypertension was reported by 18% of men and 15% of wome n and maternal hypertension by 15% of men and 14% of women. By the tim e they were aged 9 years, systolic blood pressure was significantly hi gher in sons [117.8 mmHg, 95% confidence interval (CI) 116.4-119.2 ver sus 114.7 mmHg, CI 113.4-116.0] and daughters (118.2 mmHg, CI 116.9-11 9.5 versus 114.9 mmHg, CI 112.8-117.0) of hypertensive fathers than it was in sons and daughters of normotensive fathers. When they were age d 18 years, paternal hypertension predicted blood pressures in men and women independently of their weight at birth, fitness, alcohol consum ption and weight for height for age. Systolic blood pressures increase d more rapidly (by 0.6 mmHg/year) in men with hypertensive fathers. Co nclusions Systolic blood pressure in young adults differs in relation to parental hypertension according to the sex of the affected parent a nd the sex of the offspring. This could reflect unmeasured environment al variables or the action of sex-related genetic or intrauterine fact ors. (C) 1998 Rapid Science Ltd.