Heritability of arterial stiffness in a Brazilian population: Baependi Heart Study

Background: Increased arterial stiffness is an important determinant of cardiovascular disease risk. In addition, it has been recognized that arterial stiffness has familial aggregation; however, there are no studies involving Brazilian families. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the heritability of arterial stiffness in a Brazilian population. Methods: In this study, 1675 eligible individuals (both sexes and aged 18-102 years) were distributed in 125 families resident in the municipality of Baependi, a city located in the southeast of Brazil. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured with a noninvasive automatic device (Complior; Artech Medical, Pantin, France). Variance component approaches, implemented in the SOLAR computer package (San Antonio, Texas, USA), were applied to estimate the heritability of the studied phenotype under different statistical models. Results: Heritability estimates for carotid-femoral PWV stratified by age ranging from 11 to 35% (higher in individuals aged <= 45 years and lower in individuals aged 18-102 years). Age and hypertension showed significant effects on the PWV trait and significantly affect heritability estimates in all models. Conclusion: We conclude that the heritability of carotid-femoral PWV in a Brazilian population is intermediate, and therefore genetic studies evolving arterial stiffness phenotypes should be encouraged.