Parental History Of Hypertension Research Articles

Prevalence, Persistence, and Clinical Significance of Masked Hypertension in Youth

Masked hypertension, an elevated daytime ambulatory blood pressure in the presence of a normal office blood pressure, confers an increased cardiovascular risk to adults. We investigated the prevalence, persistence, and clinical significance of masked hypertension in children and adolescents. We enrolled 592 youths (6 to 18 years old). Youths with masked hypertension (n=34) and a random sample of the normotensive participants (n=200) were followed-up. In a nested case-control study, we compared echocardiographic left ventricular mass among cases with persistent masked hypertension and normotensive controls. At baseline, mean age was 10.2 years; 535 youths were normotensive on office and daytime ambulatory blood pressure measurement (90.4%), and 45 had masked hypertension (7.6%). Compared with normotensive controls, participants with masked hypertension had a higher ambulatory pulse rate, were more obese, and were 2.5-times more likely to have a parental history of hypertension. Among 34 patients with masked hypertension (median follow-up 37 months), 18 became normotensive, 13 had persistent masked hypertension, and 3 had sustained hypertension. Patients with persistent masked hypertension (n=17) or who progressed from masked to sustained hypertension (n=3) had a higher left ventricular mass index (34.9 versus 29.6 g/m2.7; P=0.023) and a higher percentage with left ventricular mass index above the 95th percentile (30% versus 0%; P=0.014) than normotensive controls. In children and adolescents, masked hypertension is a precursor of sustained hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy. This condition warrants follow-up and, once it becomes persistent, is an indication for blood pressure-lowering treatment.

Effects of baroreceptor stimulation and opioids on the auditory startle reflex

We examined (a) whether carotid baroreceptor stimulation attenuates the auditory startle response and its modulation by preceding affective pictures, and (b) whether these effects are mediated by endogenous opioids. Seventy-eight young normotensive adults with or without a parental history of hypertension received brief exposures to affective pictures and noise bursts during phasic manipulation of the carotid baroreceptors. In each participant, opioids were blocked by naltrexone in half of the sessions. Baroreceptor stimulation had a strong dampening effect on the startle response. This effect was not influenced by opioid blockade, sex, or parental history of hypertension. No baroreceptor effects were obtained regarding ratings of the affective pictures or startle modulation by the pictures. The baroreceptor stimulation effects seem to be mediated by the basal primary acoustic startle circuit rather than by higher affective circuits.

Nociception and baroreceptor stimulation in hypertension‐prone men and women

We examined the effects of baroreceptor stimulation on nociceptive responding in men and women with a positive or negative parental history of hypertension. The effects of three baroreceptor conditions (stimulation, inhibition, and control) on subjective pain and nociceptive responding were evaluated during electrocutaneous sural nerve stimulation. Pain ratings were lower in men with positive parental history relative to men with negative parental history, but this difference was not found in women. Both stimulatory and inhibitory baroreceptor conditions were associated with reduced pain reports compared to the control condition. There were no significant differences in nociceptive responding as a function of parental history of hypertension. Although this study confirms a link between hypoalgesia and risk for hypertension in men, it does not support the hypothesis that this attenuated pain perception is due to enhanced baroreceptor activity.

Normal Exercise Blood Pressure Response in African-American Women with Parental History of Hypertension

Genetic and environmental hypotheses may explain why normotensive persons at high risk of developing hypertension often exhibit greater cardiovascular reactivity to stressors than those at low risk. Pearson's correlation was used to evaluate reproducibility and independent t test to compare the cardiovascular responses to 30 W of exercise of normotensive young adult African-American women with positive and negative parental histories (PH) of hypertension (PH, n = 23; PH, n = 20). Correlations were significant for duplicate measurements. The effects of PH on blood pressure measured at rest and during exercise were not statistically significant (P > 0.1). A nearly significant trend for greater resting (.-)VO(2) (P = 0.08) was detected in the PH than in the PH group (3.67 +/- 0.18 versus 3.26 +/- 0.14 mL/kg/min). A hyper-reactive blood pressure response to exercise, characteristic of the evolution of hypertension, may not be present among the normotensive female offspring of hypertensive African Americans. The significance of an 11% intergroup difference in the mean resting (.-)VO(2) observed in this study is unclear.

Correlates of carotid artery stiffness in young adults: The Bogalusa Heart Study

Decreased arterial elasticity, an independent risk factor for cardiovascular (C-V) disease, is associated with C-V risk factors in middle-aged and older individuals. However, information is limited in this regard in young adults. This aspect was examined in a community-based sample of 516 black and white subjects aged 25–38 years (71% white, 39% male). The common carotid artery elasticity was measured from M-mode ultrasonography as Peterson’s elastic modulus (Ep) and relative wall thickness-adjusted Young’s elastic modulus (YEM). Blacks and males had higher Ep ( P < 0.05); males had higher YEM ( P < 0.0001); and blacks had higher wall thickness ( P < 0.01). For the entire sample adjusted for race and gender both Ep and YEM correlated significantly ( P < 0.05–0.0001) with age, BMI, waist, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, heart rate, product of heart rate and pulse pressure, triglycerides, total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio, insulin and glucose. In a multivariate regression model that included hemodynamic variables, systolic blood pressure, product of heart rate and pulse pressure, age, triglycerides, BMI, and male gender (for YEM only) were independent correlates of Ep ( R 2 = 0.38) and YEM ( R 2 = 0.25). When the hemodynamic variables were excluded from the model, age, triglycerides, BMI, black race (Ep only), male gender, parental history of hypertension, HDL cholesterol (inverse association), and insulin (marginal significance) remained independent correlates of Ep ( R 2 = 0.20) and YEM ( R 2 = 16). Both Ep and YEM increased ( P for trend P < 0.0001) with increasing number of independent continuous risk factors (defined as values above or below the age, race, and gender-specific extreme quintiles) that were retained in the regression models. The observed increasing arterial stiffness (or decreased elasticity) with increasing number of risk factors related to insulin resistance syndrome in free-living, asymptomatic young adults has important implications for prevention.

Hypothesis: Uric acid, nephron number, and the pathogenesis of essential hypertension

Essential hypertension affects more than 25% of the world's population. Genetic, physiologic, and epidemiologic studies provide clues to its origins, but a clear understanding has been elusive. Recent experimental and clinical studies have implicated uric acid in the onset of essential hypertension. In a retrospective chart review, we identified 95 children with confirmed, new onset hypertension, and evaluated the cause of hypertension and parental history of hypertension, birth weight, and serum uric acid. In an open-label, cross-over trial we treated 5 children with confirmed essential hypertension with allopurinol as single treatment agent, and screened for change in blood pressure by casual and ambulatory methods. In tissue culture experiments, we evaluated the effect of uric acid on glomerular endothelial cell function. Elevation of serum uric acid is related to the onset of essential hypertension in children, reduced birth weight, and endothelial dysfunction. Normalization of uric acid appears to ameliorate new onset essential hypertension. These findings, combined with animal model data, support the hypothesis that uric acid has a key role in the pathogenesis of early onset essential hypertension, and may unify some of the disparate theories of the origins of essential hypertension.

Other: Influence of parental history of hypertension on cardiovascular responses to a noxious stimulus

Other: Influence of parental history of hypertension on cardiovascular responses to a noxious stimulus

Muscle pain during exercise in normotensive african american women: effect of parental hypertension history

The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the influence of parental hypertension history on leg muscle pain ratings during cycling exercise in African American women. Eighteen women (age, 19 ± 2 years) with a positive family history (+PH) of hypertension and 16 (age, 19 ± 1 years) with a negative family history (−PH) underwent maximal exercise and cold pressor testing. Maximal exercise was conducted on a cycle ergometer. Quadriceps muscle pain intensity ratings were obtained each minute during the maximal exercise test by using a category-ratio scale. The hand cold pressor test was used to determine cardiovascular reactivity. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed significantly lower pain ratings during exercise for the +PH group compared to the −PH group. Psychophysical power functions indicated that the +PH participants had significantly lower exponents for pain throughout exercise. Systolic blood pressure reactivity did not significantly predict pain ratings during exercise. Normotensive African American women with +PH of hypertension experienced less muscle pain during exercise compared to normotensive African American women with a −PH of hypertension. The results are consistent with data demonstrating reduced sensitivity to experimental pain stimuli in individuals at risk for developing hypertension and extend them to naturally occurring muscle pain produced by exercise. Perspective African American women, a sedentary group with an elevated risk for developing hypertension and chronic pain, show the same negative relationship between +PH and pain perception as men, suggesting that central nervous system mechanisms of pain modulation are more related to family history than gender. Acute exercise provides an experimental model for manipulating naturally occurring pain in studies concerned with the association between pain and hypertension.

Depressive Symptoms Are Related to Higher Ambulatory Blood Pressure in People With a Family History of Hypertension

We investigated whether parental history of hypertension (FH+) enhances the impact of depressed mood, indexed by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), on ambulatory blood pressure (ABP). Twenty-four-hour ABP, urinary norepinephrine (NE), and cortisol were obtained in 314 unmedicated normotensive and hypertensive men and women (age 18-64 years) who also completed the BDI. Subjects with a positive family history of hypertension (N = 177) exhibited significantly greater mean body mass index (BMI) and ABP compared with subjects without (N = 137). Importantly, when covarying for age, BMI, gender, and race, linear regressions revealed significant FH by BDI interactions. Higher BDI scores were significantly associated with higher 24-hour ABP in FH+ subjects, but not in FH- participants. Relationships were significantly stronger in those with two hypertensive parents vs. those with one vs. those with no hypertensive parents. Increases in BDI scores were significantly related to greater heart rate (HR) and 24-hour urinary NE in both FH+ and FH- groups, although no evidence of a mediational role for NE in the effect of BDI score on blood pressure (BP) or HR was seen. These findings suggest that depressed mood may be reliably associated with higher BP only among those with an underlying susceptibility to HTN.

Family History of Hypertension and Diabetes in Relation to Preeclampsia Risk in Peruvian Women

In a case-control study of 169 preeclamptics and 201 controls, we assessed maternal parental history of chronic hypertension and diabetes in relation to preeclampsia risk among Peruvian women. Participants provided information on parental history of the two conditions and other covariates during postpartum interviews. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusted for confounding by age, parity and prepregnancy adiposity. In this population, women were more likely to know the diabetes status of their parents than their hypertension status. Compared with women without a parental history of hypertension, women with a parental history of hypertension experienced a 20% increased risk of preeclampsia (OR = 1.2; 95% CI 0.7–2.2) that did not reach statistical significance. Women with a positive parental history for diabetes had a 3.4-fold increased risk of preeclampsia (95% CI 1.4–8.4). Women with a positive parental history of both hypertension and diabetes, as compared with those whose parents had neither condition, experienced a 4.6- fold increased risk of preeclampsia (OR = 4.6; 95% CI 0.9–23.0). Our results are generally consistent with the thesis that parental history of hypertension and diabetes reflects genetic and behavioral factors whereby women may be predisposed to an increased risk of preeclampsia.

Parental History of Hypertension and Coping Responses Predict Blood Pressure Changes in Black College Volunteers Undergoing a Speaking Task About Perceptions of Racism

This investigation explored the relationship of coping responses and parental history of hypertension to task-induced blood pressure changes. The sample consisted of 215 black college student volunteers (median age = 25.95 y). During the speaking task, participants responded to standardized questions about perceptions of intra-ethnic and inter-ethnic group racism. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were measured via an automated blood pressure monitor. Usual ways of coping with intra-ethnic group racism were assessed with the COPE Scale, and parental history of hypertension (PHH) was self-reported by participants. Findings from the final step of hierarchical general linear models indicated that the main effect of emotion-focused coping was negatively associated with diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.02) and systolic blood pressure (p = 0.002) changes. Further, these analyses revealed that PHH interacted: (1) with the coping responses of planning (p = 0.007) and denial (p = 0.002) to predict changes in systolic blood pressure and (2) with the planning coping response to predict diastolic blood pressure changes (p = 0.02). The direction of these effects indicated that among participants who were high in these coping responses, participants who also had a positive PHH had larger blood pressure changes. Regression analyses also revealed that PHH interacted with the cognitive coping response (p = 0.01) to predict changes in systolic blood pressure. The direction of this effect indicated that among participants who were low in this coping response, participants who also had a positive PHH had larger systolic blood pressure changes. This study highlights the importance of examining the joint contribution of biological and psychosocial parameters to blood pressure reactivity in blacks.

Adolescent Pain Sensitivity Is Associated With Cardiac Autonomic Function and Blood Pressure Over 8 Years

Low pain sensitivity has been reported in hypertensive subjects as well in groups deemed to be at increased risk of development of the disorder. However, it is uncertain whether individual differences in pain sensitivity are associated prospectively with increases in blood pressure. In the current study, 24-hour blood pressure and heart rate variability were recorded in 110, 22-year-old men previously assessed at age 14 years for casual blood pressure and pain sensitivity (mechanical finger pressure). Significant correlations were observed between pain tolerance in 14-year-olds and current 24-hour systolic blood pressure (r=0.37, P<0.01) and diastolic blood pressure (r=0.36, P<0.01). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that information regarding pain tolerance improved prediction of systolic and diastolic blood pressure at age 22 years beyond that afforded by differences in blood pressure, parental history of hypertension, and body mass index at age 14 years. Similar analyses revealed that average pain sensitivity at age 14 was also associated with 24-hour high-frequency heart rate variability (r=0.28, P<0.01) and low-frequency/high-frequency heart rate variability at age 22 (r=-0.35, P<0.01), suggesting increased sympathetic and reduced parasympathetic tone among individuals less sensitive to pain. These results provide further evidence that blood pressure related hypoalgesia might be related to processes involved in blood pressure regulation as well as in the development of sustained high blood pressure.

CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS AND TWENTY-FOUR HOUR AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE IN AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN WITH PARENTAL HYPERTENSION

A decrease from awake to sleeping blood pressure of less than 20\% is associated with hypertension and its related health consequences. Black Americans are more likely than other groups to exhibit a blunted nocturnal decline of blood pressure that is independent of blood pressure level. Increased cardiorespiratory fitness has been associated with lower resting blood pressure in hypertensive adults and in those at increased risk of future hypertension. However, the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and 24-hour blood pressure patterns is less clear. PURPOSE This study examined the moderating effects of cardiorespiratory fitness and parental history of hypertension on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure in black women. METHODS Participants were normotensive (mean±SD: 109 ± 6/70 ± 6 mm Hg) college-aged (18.8 ± 1.1 years) women: 13 had a parental history of hypertension (+PH) and 12 did not (-PH). Participants performed a maximal cycle ergometry test and wore an ambulatory blood pressure monitor for a 24-hour period on a weekday during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. Blood pressure readings were taken approximately every 30 minutes over a 24-hour period. Participants recorded posture, activities, and any physical symptoms at the time of each awake blood pressure reading using a standard diary. Self-reports of sleep quality and perceived stress were also obtained for the measurement period. The influences of fitness and parental hypertension on blood pressure patterns were analyzed using multiple linear regression. RESULTS Participants in the +PH group had higher resting diastolic (DBP; p = .02) and mean arterial pressure (p = .01) and a smaller nocturnal decline of DBP (p = .02) compared to women in the -PH group. Cardiorespiratory fitness was not associated with resting blood pressure or the nocturnal decline of blood pressure. CONCLUSION There was evidence of a blunted nocturnal decline of blood pressure in normotensive +PH women. However, cardiorespiratory fitness did not influence resting blood pressure or the nocturnal decline in blood pressure in this sample of young black women.

Relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and carotid elasticity in healthy young adults: the bogalusa heart study

Decreased arterial elasticity, indicating abnormal vascular function, has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease in middle and older-age individuals. This study was designed to explore the rela-tionships between carotid artery function and cardiovascular risk factors in young, healthy adults. A sample of 516 subjects aged 25–37 years (mean age 32 years, 71% white, 39% male) who participated in the Bogalusa Heart Study were examined. Arterial elasticity was measured from M-mode ultrasonography of the common carotid artery by calculation of Peterson's elastic modulus (Ep). Elevated values indicate deterioration in elasticity. Risk factor variables included in the analyses were age, race, gender, systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressures (DBP), LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, total to HDL cholesterol ratio, BMI, waist circumference, insulin, glucose, heart rate times pulse pressure (PP) product, cigarette smoking and parental history of hypertension or diabetes. After controlling for age, blacks and males had higher Ep values (P<0.01). Males also had higher mean SBP and DBP levels (p<0.01) with blacks demonstrating higher mean SBP than whites (p<0.0001). Males had higher values than females and whites higher than blacks for total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol and triglyceride with males and whites having lower HDL cholesterol than females and blacks respectively (P<0.05). Black females had higher BMI and waist circumference than white females (p<0.001). In univariate analyses, all risk factor variables listed above except LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol were correlated with Ep (p<0.05). In multivariate analyses, the independent predictors of Ep were SBP, heart rate x PP, age, log of triglycerides and BMI explaining 38% of the variance. Subjects were grouped according to number of risk factors with elevated values (top race and gender specific quartile). There was a linear relationship (p<0.0001) between Ep and number (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or more) elevated risk factor levels. Abnormal carotid artery elasticity is associated with elevations in levels of cardiovascular risk factors. Even in asymptomatic young adults, clustering of abnormal risk factor levels may predict decreased vascular function underscoring the need for beginning preventive measures early in life.

Family history of hypertension and type 2 diabetes in relation to preeclampsia risk.

In a case-control study of 190 preeclamptic patients and 373 control subjects, we assessed maternal family history of chronic hypertension and type 2 diabetes in relation to preeclampsia risk. Participants provided information on first-degree family history of the 2 conditions and other covariates during postpartum interviews. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals adjusted for confounding by age, race, and obesity. Compared with women with no parental history of hypertension, women with maternal only (odds ratio=1.9), paternal only (odds ratio=1.8), or both maternal and paternal history of hypertension (odds ratio=2.6) had a statistically significant increased risk of preeclampsia. The odds ratio for women with at least one hypertensive parent and a hypertensive sibling was 4.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.9 to 11.6). Both maternal only (odds ratio=2.1; 95% confidence interval, 0.9 to 4.6) and paternal only (odds ratio=1.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.0 to 3.2) history of diabetes was associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia. Women with a diabetic sibling had a 4.7-fold increased risk of preeclampsia (95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 19.8). For women with at least one hypertensive parent and at least one diabetic parent, relative to those with parents with neither diagnosis, the odds ratio for preeclampsia was 3.2 (95% confidence interval, 1.6 to 6.2). Our results are consistent with the thesis that family history of hypertension and diabetes reflects genetic and behavioral factors whereby women may be predisposed to an increased preeclampsia risk.

Parental history of hypertension is associated with coagulation–fibrinolytic balance disorders

It has been previously shown that essential hypertension (EH) is associated with coagulation–fibrinolytic balance disorders. Our study was conducted in order to investigate disturbances in coagulation–fibrinolysis in offsprings of hypertensive parents. Two groups were studied: 44 healthy normotensive individuals (17 male, 27 female, age range 12–22 years) with a documented family history of hypertension and 33 individuals (14 male, 19 female, age range 11–21 years) without a family history of essential hypertension. The following parameters were determined in both groups: plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 antigen, tissue plasminogen activator antigen, fibrinogen, fibrin degradation products, thrombomodulin, protein S antigen, protein C activity, von Willebrand factor Ag, factor VII and factor XII activity. Additionally, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, insulin levels, blood lipids and heart rate were determined. The two groups were not found to have differences with respect to age, gender, body mass index, blood lipids and insulin levels. Hypertensive offsprings had significantly higher plasma levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 antigen, fibrinogen, fibrin degradation products, protein S antigen and factor XII activity, while no differences were observed to the other haemostatic variables studied. Hence, offsprings of hypertensives had significantly higher diastolic blood pressure and heart rate. In conclusion, alterations regarding blood pressure, heart rate and fibrinolytic function exist in offsprings of hypertensive parents compared to individuals without family history of hypertension.

Exaggeration of blood pressure‐related hypoalgesia and reduction of blood pressure with low frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation

Reduced pain perception has been observed in hypertensive individuals and normotensive individuals at risk for high blood pressure and may involve increased endogenous opioid release or receptor sensitivity. The present study examined the issue by administering two subjectively similar but physiologically different forms of the pain‐reducing procedure transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Men varying in resting blood pressure and parental history of hypertension participated in three testing sessions during which was presented (a) high‐frequency (100 Hz) TENS; (b) low‐frequency (2 Hz) TENS, the type believed to elicit endogenous opioid activity; or (c) no‐TENS stimulation. Measurements of blood pressure (BP) and other physiological variables were obtained during this period. Afterwards, two pain stimuli were presented: a series of electric shocks and 5 min of arm ischemia. There was a significant negative association between pain and resting systolic blood pressure (SBP), and pain and parental history of hypertension in the no‐TENS and high‐frequency TENS conditions that was significantly strengthened by administration of low‐frequency TENS. As well, low‐frequency TENS produced a modest but significant acute reduction in SBP, especially among those with higher resting levels. These results provide further evidence that opioid mechanisms are involved in blood pressure‐related hypoalgesia and blood pressure regulation.

Altered central nervous system processing of noxious stimuli contributes to decreased nociceptive responding in individuals at risk for hypertension

Previous evidence indicates that individuals with hypertension and those at increased risk for the disorder exhibit decreased pain perception. To test the hypothesis that attenuation of nociceptive processing in individuals at genetic risk for hypertension is related to differential central modulation of nociceptive transmission, the present study examined descending modulation, alpha-motoneuron excitability, and temporal summation of nociceptive input in young adults with and without a parental history of hypertension. Nociceptive flexion (NFR) and non-nociceptive Hoffman reflexes were assessed at rest and during performance of a mental arithmetic task. Temporal summation was assessed by examining NFR threshold in response to a series of five electrical pulses delivered at 2 Hz. Compared to participants without a parental history of hypertension, offspring of individuals with hypertension exhibited significantly higher NFR thresholds, suggesting that risk for hypertension may be associated with enhanced activation of central pain inhibition pathways.

EXERCISE AND FAMILIAL HYPERTENSION ON CARDIOVASCULAR REACTIVITY TO THE COLD PRESSOR TEST IN AFRICAN AMERICANS

PURPOSE: The present study examined the effects of regular aerobic physical activity on cardiovascular responses to the cold pressor test in normotensive young adult African Americans (AA) with and without a a family history of hypertension (HT). METHODS: Eight males with a parental history of HT and 8 males without a family history of HT trained on a cycle ergometer 3 times/week, 30 minutes/session at an intensity of 70% peak oxygen uptake, for 8 weeks. Measures of blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), cardiac output (CO) and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) were obtained during baseline and during cold stimulation of the foot. For comparison, the same measurements were performed on similar non-trained control groups. Cardiovascular reactivity was determined by contrasting the change in score between baseline and cold stimulation conditions. RESULTS: Regardless of family history after training, peak oxygen uptake in the trained group was 20% higher than that in the non-trained group (32.1 ± 1.9 vs 40.1 ± 0.9 ml/kg/min) (P < .05). Systolic BP changes following training were significantly lower in the trained group than in the non-trained group (32.6 ± 4.8 vs 17.6 ± 3.0 mmHg) (P < .05). After the study period a significant main effect for familial history was observed for diastolic BP changes (with familial HT 18.9 ± 3.6 vs without familial HT 8.4 ± 3.1 mmHg) (P < .05) and SVR changes (familial HT 333.0 ± 110 vs without familial HT 22.9 ± 71 dynes/cm). Finally, the results showed that the HR and CO changes were not significantly different between groups after training. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that regular physical activity may attenuate BP response to behavioral stress and therapeutically reduce the risk of HT in AA. Supported by NIH GM-08016

Do behavioral responses mediate or moderate the relation between cardiovascular reactivity to stress and parental history of hypertension?

To examine whether differences in behavioral responses to stress mediated or moderated the relation between cardiovascular response to stress and parental history of hypertension, 64 healthy undergraduates-16 men with hypertensive parents (PH+), 16 men without hypertensive parents (PH-), 16 PH+ women, and 16 PH- women-participated in a mental arithmetic task, mirror tracing task, and 2 interpersonal role plays. PH+ participants exhibited higher resting heart rates than PH- participants and higher resting systolic blood pressures (SBPs) than PH- women. PH+ participants exhibited greater SBP responses to tasks and engaged in more negative verbal and nonverbal behavior across tasks than PH- counterparts. Differences in behavioral responding neither mediated nor moderated the observed relation between parental history status and SBP response to stress.