Yonsei Med J.  2002 Apr;43(2):160-164. 10.3349/ymj.2002.43.2.160.

Familial Correlation and Heritability for Cardiovascular Risk Factors

• Jee SH
• Suh I
• Won SY
• Kim MY

• KMID: 1118964
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2002.43.2.160

Abstract

The goal of this study was to describe the overall genetic contribution of phenotypic variation to cardiovascular disease. The study population included 7,589 family members of 1,891 families, derived from Korean Medical Insurance Corporation. The risk factors considered were systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), body mass index (BMI), and high serum cholesterol. The levels of cardiovascular disease risk factors were adjusted for age, gender, smoking and alcohol drinking. Heritability was estimated from the slope of the line linear regression of offspring on mid-parent. All risk factors showed positive familial correlations, and correlations were generally lower for spouses than for parent- offspring pairs. Spouse correlations showed increasing patterns with age. Parents-offspring correlations showed little variation with age, suggesting that the observed correlations with CVD risk factors were primarily due to genetic influences rather than environmental effects. Estimated heritabilities were 26% for BMI, 26% for high serum cholesterol, 19% for SBP, and 9% for DBP. These results highlight the importance of considering genetic factors in studies of cardiovascular risk factors.

Keyword

Correlation; heritability; CVD risk factor

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Blood Pressure/genetics
Body Mass Index
Cardiovascular Diseases/*genetics
Cholesterol/blood
Female
Genetic Predisposition to Disease/*genetics
Human
Male
Middle Age
Risk Factors