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Jee, Suh, Won, and Kim: Familial Correlation and Heritability for Cardiovascular Risk Factors
Original Article
Yonsei Medical Journal

Yonsei Medical Journal 2002; 43(2): 160-164.

Published online: 1 April 2009

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2002.43.2.160

Familial Correlation and Heritability for Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Sun Ha Jee1, Il Suh2, So Young Won1, Mi Yang Kim1

1Department of Epidemiology and Disease Control, Graduate School of Health Science and Management, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.

2Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Yonsei University Medical College, Seoul, Korea.

Reprint address: requests to Dr. Il Suh, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Yonsei University College of Medicine, C.P.O. Box 8044, Seoul 120-752, Korea. Tel: 82-2-361-5355, Fax: 82-2-365-5118, isuh@yumc.yonsei.ac.kr

Received 21 February 2000       Accepted 20 December 2001

Copyright © 2002 The Yonsei University College of Medicine

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.

Keywords: Correlation, heritability, CVD risk factor

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