Familial aggregation of blood pressure with respect to anthropometric variables in a business community of Punjab, a north Indian state.

This study aimed to examine the familial aggregation of blood pressure with respect to anthropometric variables in an upper-middle class business community in Punjab, a northern state of India. The results were evaluated in a sample of 75 families, constituting 305 individual from three generations such as offspring, parental and grandparental. The data were analyzed through familial correlations, multiple regressions, percent of variance and univariate analysis. The data indicate a strong familial aggregation of blood pressure in this population especially in offspring generations and show that such a familial influence on blood pressure can be detected from the different anthropometric variables, genetic factors, shared household environment and age. These effects were strong in SBP and moderate in DBP. SBP and DBP have showed higher genetic correlation with many anthropometric characters in offspring generation as compared to other generations. These correlations are negligible in male grandparental generation. The results suggest that almost all measured variables are significant multivariate correlates with blood pressure.