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(Hypertension. 2003;41:69.)
© 2003 American Heart Association, Inc.

Scientific Contributions

Maternal and Paternal Influences on Left Ventricular Mass of Offspring

Tatiana Kuznetsova; Jan A. Staessen; Agnieszka Olszanecka; Andrew Ryabikov; Katarzyna Stolarz; Sofia Malyutina; Robert Fagard; Kalina Kawecka-Jaszcz; Yuri Nikitin on behalf of the European Project On Genes in Hypertension (EPOGH) Investigators

From the Study Coordinating Centre, Hypertension and Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Unit, Department of Molecular and Cardiovascular Research, University of Leuven (T.K., J.A.S., R.F.), Leuven, Belgium; Institute of Internal Medicine (T.K., A.R., S.M., Y.N.), Novosibirsk, Russian Federation; and the First Cardiac Department, Jagiellonian University (A.O., K.S., K.K.-J.), Cracow, Poland.

Correspondence to Tatiana Kuznetsova, MD, Studiecoördinatiecentrum, Laboratorium Hypertensie, Campus Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. E-mail tatiana.kouznetsova{at}student.kuleuven.ac.be

Significant intrafamilial correlations of left ventricular mass exist in first-degree relatives. However, the specific maternal and paternal influences on left ventricular mass of offspring remain unknown. We therefore evaluated familial aggregation of left ventricular mass by type of familial relation in two European populations. A random sample of 159 nuclear families (250 parents and 321 offspring) was investigated in Cracow, Poland, and Novosibirsk, Russia. The mean age of parents and offspring was 51.4 years and 25.1 years, respectively. Two-dimensionally guided M-mode echocardiography was performed, and left ventricular mass was calculated. As a measure of concordance, we computed correlation coefficients for left ventricular mass between first-degree relatives and between spouse pairs. After adjustment for center, gender, age, height, body weight, systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive treatment, smoking, alcohol intake, and physical activity, the intrafamilial correlations for left ventricular mass were 0.06 (P=0.57) in 91 spouse-spouse pairs, 0.14 (P=0.002) in 500 parent-offspring pairs, and 0.32 (P<0.001) in 179 sib-sib pairs. Across the four parent-offspring relations, the intrafamilial correlations of left ventricular mass differed. The mother-son (n=140, r=0.27, P<0.001) and mother-daughter (n=161, r=0.28, P<0.001) correlations were significant, whereas the father-son (n=101, r=0.04, P=0.69) and father-daughter (n=98, r=-0.09, P=0.38) correlations were not different from zero. Overall, the mother-offspring correlation coefficient was significantly higher than the father-offspring correlation (r=0.28 versus r=-0.04; P=0.005). Thus, maternal factors appear to have more impact on left ventricular mass of offspring than do paternal influences. Further studies are required to elucidate the genetic, epigenetic, and ecogenetic mechanisms underlying these divergent parent-offspring correlations.

Key Words: genetics • blood pressure • ventricular function, left • hypertrophy • echocardiography

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