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Albert Oberman

Publications and source records attributed to Albert Oberman.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Evidence for a gene on chromosome 13 influencing postural systolic blood pressure change and body mass index.

Previous analysis in the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN) of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Family Blood Pressure Program, a multicenter study of genetic and environmental factors related to hypertension, indicated regions of linkage for blood pressure traits together with several coincident regions for phenotypically correlated traits, including systolic blood pressure (SBP) response to a postural challenge and body mass index (BMI). Motivated by these findings and by our desire to better understand the physiology of these traits, we conducted bivariate linkage analysis of postural SBP change and BMI. Sibships in HyperGEN were recruited from 5 field centers in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Minnesota, Utah, and Alabama. All available affected siblings, their parents, and selected nonmedicated offspring were recruited. Among 1636 whites and 1747 blacks, we performed a maximum likelihood bivariate genome scan for quantitative trait loci influencing postural SBP change and BMI, similarly adjusted for race, study center, sex, age, and age-by-sex interactions. Genome scans were performed using SOLAR (version 2.0) and race-specific marker allele frequencies derived from founders. The maximum genome-wide logarithm of odds (LOD) score of 3.2 was detected on chromosome 13 at 24 cM. This marker (D13S493) lies within 20 cM of a marker previously linked to BMI in the Family Heart Study and is substantially higher than the univariate linkage for each trait (LOD scores for BMI and postural SBP change were 2.4 and 0.9, respectively). These findings suggest that a gene(s) on chromosome 13q jointly regulates the SBP response to postural change and BMI.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Association of inappropriate left ventricular mass with systolic and diastolic dysfunction: the HyperGEN study.

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular mass (LVM) exceeding values appropriate for individual workload is associated with concentric LV geometry and systolic dysfunction at both the midwall and chamber levels, even independently of clearcut LV hypertrophy, and is a marker of adverse prognosis. No information is available on whether inappropriate LVM is associated with alterations of LV diastolic properties in unselected population-based studies. METHODS: We examined 1513 hypertensive participants from the HyperGEN population who were without prevalent cardiovascular disease. The LVM prediction from stroke work (systolic blood pressure x Doppler stroke volume), sex, and height (in meters2.7) was derived in 210 nonobese, normal individuals. Observed/predicted LVM >133% defined inappropriate LVM. RESULTS: Participants with inappropriate LVM (229 subjects [15%]) exhibited higher LV dimensions and relative wall thickness, lower ejection fraction, midwall shortening and cardiac output, and prolonged isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT; P < or = .001). Other diastolic abnormalities were not associated with inappropriate LVM. After accounting for demographic and hemodynamic confounders, IVRT was directly related to excess LVM, whereas deceleration time of E velocity was negatively related to excess LVM. Nonechocardiographic correlates of prolonged relaxation included aging, African American ethnicity, male gender, and diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: The LVM exceeding the compensatory needs for workload is associated with delayed LV relaxation as well as mild midwall and chamber systolic dysfunction, independently of demographic, clinical, and hemodynamic confounders. Inappropriately high LVM also correlates with features of increased myocardial stiffness, coexisting with evidence of prolonged LV relaxation.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Prevalence and correlates of panic attacks in postmenopausal women: results from an ancillary study to the Women's Health Initiative.

BACKGROUND: Panic attacks are known to be more common in women than in men, but the prevalence and correlates of panic in the postmenopausal period have not been well defined. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of 3369 community-dwelling postmenopausal women enrolled between December 1, 1997, and November 30, 2000, in the Myocardial Ischemia and Migraine Study, a 10-center ancillary study of the 40-center Women's Health Initiative. Participants, aged 50 to 79 years and predominantly white (73%), completed questionnaires about the occurrence of panic attacks in the previous 6 months and about migraine headaches and underwent 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring. The 6-month prevalences of full-blown and limited-symptom panic attacks were calculated, and their associations with other sociodemographic and clinical variables were examined in multivariate analyses. RESULTS: One of the panic attack types was reported by 17.9% (95% confidence interval, 16.6%-19.2%) of women (full-blown attacks, 9.8%; limited-symptom attacks, 8.1%). Adjusting for age and race or ethnicity, full-blown panic attacks were more common in women with a history of migraine, emphysema, cardiovascular disease, chest pain during ambulatory electrocardiography, and symptoms of depression. Full-blown panic attacks were associated in a dose-response manner with negative life events during the past year. Panic attacks were associated with functional impairment even after adjusting for comorbid medical conditions and depression. There was no significant association with self-reported use of hormone replacement therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Panic attacks may be relatively common among postmenopausal women and seem to be associated with stressful life events, medical comorbidity, and functional impairment.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Usefulness of prior hysterectomy as an independent predictor of Framingham risk score (The Women's Health Initiative).

The association of hysterectomy with increased coronary risk is controversial, and previous studies have reached differing conclusions as to whether the excess risk is confined to women who have also undergone bilateral oophorectomy. This analysis uses the Framingham algorithm to evaluate the hypothesis that hysterectomy with or without ovarian preservation is associated with increased coronary risk, using a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from 1,501 participants of the Women's Health Initiative. Framingham risk scores, derived from the algorithm in the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines, which include age, smoking, systolic blood pressure, total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, were determined in a subgroup of Women's Health Initiative participants with measured plasma lipids and known ovariectomy status. Women with hysterectomy had fewer years of education than those without hysterectomy (30% with college degree vs 41%, p <0.0001) and higher body mass index (29 vs 28 kg/m(2), p <0.0001), consumed less alcohol, exercised less, and had a higher Framingham risk of myocardial infarction or coronary death (46% vs 41% with 10-year risk >/=4%, p = 0.04). In multivariate analysis, hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy was an independent predictor of Framingham risk (p = 0.04), whereas hysterectomy with ovarian preservation was not.

Black or African American↗
PubMed2003

Associations of aortic and mitral regurgitation with body composition and myocardial energy expenditure in adults with hypertension: the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network study.

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that aortic regurgitation, mitral valve regurgitation, or both are associated with lower body mass index, an index of body adiposity. However, the relations of valvular regurgitation to body composition and myocardial bioenergetic expenditure have not been previously investigated in a population-based sample. METHODS: We selected 1496 patients with hypertension who did not have diabetes mellitus to participate in the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN) study. We excluded participants with severe aortic or mitral stenosis or with known coronary heart disease. Bioimpedance was used to assess body composition. Echocardiography was used to assess left ventricular (LV) structure and function and to calculate myocardial workload (expressed as energy expenditure) from end-systolic stress, ejection time, and stroke volume. The study sample was divided into groups without mitral or aortic regurgitation (control subjects, n = 1175), with mild valvular regurgitation (1+, n = 246), and with at least moderate (>or=2+) mitral or aortic regurgitation (n = 75). RESULTS: The mean patient age was higher with more severe valvular insufficiency. Sex distribution and blood pressure were similar among the 3 groups. Body mass index and fat mass were significantly lower with more severe valvular regurgitation, whereas fat-free mass was only slightly lower in the group with >or=2+ regurgitation compared with control subjects. Skinfold thicknesses (brachial and subscapular) were lower with more severe valvular regurgitation, whereas self-reported physical activity per week was similar among the 3 groups. LV mass and circumferential end-systolic stress were higher with more severe valvular regurgitation. Noninvasively estimated myocardial energy expenditure was slightly higher in participants with 1+ valvular regurgitation and was significantly higher with >or=2+ regurgitation. Ejection fraction was mildly lower with >or=2+ aortic insufficiency, mitral insufficiency, or both. Midwall shortening and stress-corrected midwall shortening did not differ among groups. CONCLUSIONS: In a population-based sample of adults with hypertension and without diabetes mellitus, known coronary heart disease, or significant valvular stenosis, mitral and aortic regurgitation were associated with higher LV mass and total myocardial biomechanical workload but with lower body fat mass and slightly lower body fat-free mass, which suggests that global myocardial bioenergetic expenditure is elevated by concomitant valvular regurgitation beyond the effect of pressure overload caused by hypertension.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2003

The Arg16Gly polymorphism of the beta2-adrenergic receptor and left ventricular systolic function.

BACKGROUND: beta-Adrenergic receptors (ARs), including beta1- and beta2-AR, are involved in modulation of cardiac contractility and heart rate. Arg16Gly, a functional polymorphism in the beta2-AR gene, has been reported to influence exercise capacity in heart failure patients. This study examined the association of the beta2-AR Arg16Gly polymorphism with left ventricular (LV) systolic function in a biethnic population-based sample. METHODS: Echocardiograms and the beta2-AR Arg16Gly polymorphism were analyzed in 267 normotensive (54% African Americans) and 252 severe hypertensive (53% African Americans) adults without coronary heart disease or diabetes. RESULTS: The frequencies of Gly16Gly16, Arg16Gly16, and Arg16Arg16 were 28.1%, 54.3%, and 17.6%, respectively, in normotensives, and 31.4%, 47.6%, and 21.0%, respectively, in hypertensives. In normotensives, the Gly16Gly16 homozygotes displayed greater fractional shortening (35.9% +/- 4.3% v 34.1% +/- 4.7% v 34.0% +/- 3.9%, P =.01), ejection fraction (65.0% +/- 5.8% v 62.5% +/- 6.4% v 62.6% +/- 5.4%, P =.01), midwall shortening (18.6% +/- 1.6% v 17.9% +/- 1.9% v 18.0% +/- 1.6%, P =.02), and stress-corrected midwall shortening (110.1% +/- 9.3% v 106.1% +/- 10.6% v 108.1% +/- 10.8%, P =.03) compared to the Arg16Gly16 and Arg16Arg16 groups. These associations were independent of age, sex, ethnicity, heart rate, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, LV end-diastolic dimension, and field center. No significant associations between the beta2-AR Arg16Gly polymorphism and echocardiographic measures were found in hypertensives. CONCLUSIONS: The Arg16Gly polymorphism of beta2-AR may be a marker for LV chamber function and contractility in normotensive adults.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Influence of fat-free mass on detection of appropriateness of left ventricular mass: the HyperGEN Study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the differences between using height(2.7) or fat-free mass for assessment of the appropriateness of left ventricular mass (LVM) in relation to hemodynamic load, and to evaluate the performance of Doppler as compared with M-mode-derived stroke volume for computation of predicted values of LVM. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Population-based. PARTICIPANTS: We studied 2299 participants from the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network Study (prevalent cardiovascular disease in 342). OUTCOME MEASURES: Individual predicted values of LVM were generated by equations using sex, stroke work (systolic blood pressure x stroke volume by either Doppler or M-mode) and either height(2.7) or fat-free mass, as measures of body build, in 228 normotensive, non-obese, non-diabetic participants. Observed LVM was divided by the predicted value and evaluated as 'excess of LVM'. RESULTS: Among 1957 participants without prevalent cardiovascular disease, obese individuals (n = 1008) were slightly younger than non-obese individuals, whereas diabetic participants (n = 294) were slightly older. Excess of LVM was positively related to body mass index (BMI), independently of echocardiographic method and measure of body build, especially when height(2.7) and m-mode stroke work were used, and was greatest in the presence of concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (P < 0.0001). Excess LVM by height(2.7) was progressively greater than that by fat-free mass, as BMI increased (P < 0.0001). In analyses of covariance of association of prevalent cardiovascular disease with age, sex, race, BMI, and excess of LVM (by each method), methods using height(2.7) were more associated with prevalent cardiovascular disease than were methods using fat-free mass (P < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Deviation of LVM from values that compensate hemodynamic load can be similarly identified using different measures of body build and methods to generate stroke work. However, the use of height(2.7) to compute LVM as a percentage of that predicted appears to identify deviations from compensatory values that are independently related to prevalent cardiovascular disease more effectively than does the use of fat-free mass.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Walking compared with vigorous exercise for the prevention of cardiovascular events in women.

BACKGROUND: The role of walking, as compared with vigorous exercise, in the prevention of cardiovascular disease remains controversial. Data for women who are members of minority racial or ethnic groups are particularly sparse. METHODS: We prospectively examined the total physical-activity score, walking, vigorous exercise, and hours spent sitting as predictors of the incidence of coronary events and total cardiovascular events among 73,743 postmenopausal women 50 to 79 years of age in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. At base line, participants were free of diagnosed cardiovascular disease and cancer, and all participants completed detailed questionnaires about physical activity. We documented 345 newly diagnosed cases of coronary heart disease and 1551 total cardiovascular events. RESULTS: An increasing physical-activity score had a strong, graded, inverse association with the risk of both coronary events and total cardiovascular events. There were similar findings among white women and black women. Women in increasing quintiles of energy expenditure measured in metabolic equivalents (the MET score) had age-adjusted relative risks of coronary events of 1.00, 0.73, 0.69, 0.68, and 0.47, respectively (P for trend, <0.001). In multivariate analyses, the inverse gradient between the total MET score and the risk of cardiovascular events remained strong (adjusted relative risks for increasing quintiles, 1.00, 0.89, 0.81, 0.78, and 0.72, respectively; P for trend <0.001). Walking and vigorous exercise were associated with similar risk reductions, and the results did not vary substantially according to race, age, or body-mass index. A brisker walking pace and fewer hours spent sitting daily also predicted lower risk. CONCLUSIONS: These prospective data indicate that both walking and vigorous exercise are associated with substantial reductions in the incidence of cardiovascular events among postmenopausal women, irrespective of race or ethnic group, age, and body-mass index. Prolonged sitting predicts increased cardiovascular risk.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Appetite suppressants and valvular heart disease in a population-based sample: the HyperGEN study.

PURPOSE: Previous studies of the association between the use of appetite suppressants and valvular heart disease have not accounted for the effects of valvular structure and aortic root diameter, which are associated with obesity. We assessed whether the use of the appetite suppressants fenfluramine/dexfenfluramine, either alone or with phentermine, was associated with aortic regurgitation while adjusting for these variables. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The sample included 2524 adult participants in the population-based Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network study. Information regarding current drug use was assessed during a clinical examination. Medication use was continued at the time of echocardiographic study. Expert readers blinded to current therapy read echocardiograms centrally at Cornell Medical Center. Analyses of the associations between use of fenfluramine/dexfenfluramine (alone or with phentermine) and aortic regurgitation adjusted for potential confounders, including aortic root dilatation and valve fibrocalcification. RESULTS: Nineteen participants, all of whom had hypertension, were being treated with fenfluramine or dexfenfluramine (5 on these agents alone, 14 also with phentermine). Aortic regurgitation was present in 32% (n = 6) of those taking fenfluramine or dexfenfluramine versus 6% (162/2505) of remaining subjects (P = 0.001). In multivariate-adjusted analyses, treatment with fenfluramine or dexfenfluramine was associated with aortic regurgitation (odds ratio [OR] = 4.9; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.7 to 14) and aortic fibrocalcification (OR = 5.2; 95% CI: 1.9 to 15). CONCLUSION: In a population-based sample, use of fenfluramine or dexfenfluramine, alone or in combination with phentermine, was associated with aortic regurgitation independent of aortic dilatation or fibrocalcification.

Aortic Valve Insufficiency↗
PubMed2002

Gender difference in diastolic function in hypertension (the HyperGEN study).

Although several studies indicate that there are gender differences in left ventricular (LV) systolic function, it remains unclear whether similar differences exist with regard to diastolic function. Accordingly, Doppler echocardiograms were analyzed in 515 male and 839 female, mostly treated (95%) hypertensive participants enrolled in the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN) study with no evidence of abnormal wall motion or significant valvular heart disease. There was no difference in age between genders, but after adjusting for age and race, men had lower body mass indexes (29.8 +/- 5.2 vs 32.3 +/- 7.6 kg/m(2)) and heart rates (67 +/- 12 vs 69 +/- 11 beats/min) and higher systolic and diastolic blood pressures (BP) than women (134 +/- 20 vs 130 +/- 21 and 80 +/- 11 vs 72 +/- 11 mm Hg, all p <0.001). LV mass/height(2.7) was slightly greater in women than in men (43 +/- 10 vs 42 +/- 9 g/m(2.7), p <0.05). After adjusting for age, race, systolic BP, body mass index, heart rate, and LV hypertrophy, both mitral E-wave (70 +/- 18 vs 77 +/- 19) and A-wave (74 +/- 15 vs 79 +/- 17, both p <0.001) velocities were lower in men than in women, but the mitral E/A ratio and atrial filling fraction were nearly identical in both genders. Deceleration time (221 +/- 55 vs 214 +/- 46 cm/s, p = 0.018) and isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) were longer in men than in women (85 +/- 18 vs 81 +/- 17 cm/s, p <0.001). Prolonged IVRT was present in more men than women (14% vs 7%, p <0.05). In analyses of covariance, adjusting for age, race, systolic BP, body mass index, heart rate, and medications, male gender remained related to prolonged deceleration time and IVRT. Thus, in this population-based sample of hypertensive adults, men had evidence of slower early diastolic LV filling than women. This gender difference in diastolic function may provide insight into gender differences in congestive heart failure and other specific cardiovascular diseases.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2002

Relation of insulin to left ventricular geometry and function in African American and white hypertensive adults: the HyperGEN study.

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that the trophic effects of insulin may contribute to left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy in hypertension, but few population-based data exist to assess the potential impact of insulin level on LV structure or systolic function. METHODS: Fasting plasma insulin levels (log-transformed) in 1,542 nondiabetic African American or white hypertensive participants in the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN) study were compared to indices of LV geometry and function, with adjustment for potential confounders (age, sex, ethnicity, blood pressure (BP), body mass index, height and antihypertensive drugs). RESULTS: In simple correlation analysis, a weak positive relation (r = 0.078, P =.002) was found between LV mass and insulin, principally due to positive correlations (r = 0.22 and 0.50) of both variables to body mass index. Multivariate analysis, adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, body size, systolic BP, and antihypertensive drugs revealed a modest negative relation between insulin and LV mass (r = -0.08, P =.001) due to a negative relationship between insulin with LV chamber size (r = - 0.10, P <.001) and no significant relation to LV wall thicknesses. These results were confirmed in additional analysis controlling for a positive relation (r =.19, P <.0001) of insulin to heart rate, and the relation with insulin became slightly more negative when LV mass was indexed for height(2.7) (r = -0.13, P <.001). After adjustment for covariates, there were no significant relations of insulin to LV ejection fraction or stress-corrected midwall shortening; however, insulin was negatively related to stroke volume (r = -0.12, p < 0.001) and was weakly related positively to relative wall thickness (r =.053) (P =.04). CONCLUSIONS: After adjustment for body mass index and other covariates, insulin in nondiabetic hypertensive individuals has weak negative relations to LV chamber size, mass, and stroke volume, and also has weak positive relations to relative wall thickness but not to measures of LV systolic function. Thus, native plasma insulin level may not play a major independent role in the pathogenesis of hypertensive LV hypertrophy or dysfunction.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Associations between angiotensinogen gene variants and left ventricular mass and function in the HyperGEN study.

BACKGROUND: The angiotensinogen M235T polymorphism is positively associated with plasma angiotensinogen, hypertension, and coronary heart disease. However, the association of M235T polymorphism with left ventricular (LV) mass and function is not well defined at the population level. We investigated whether 2 tightly linked polymorphisms of angiotensinogen gene, M235T and G-6A, are associated with LV mass and function in a large population-based sample, composed mostly of patients with hypertension. METHODS: Two-dimensional guided M-mode and pulsed Doppler scan echocardiograms were performed in 605 participants. The angiotensinogen M235T was analyzed with a standard polymerase chain reaction test, and the G-6A variant was measured with mass spectrophotometry. RESULTS: The association of angiotensinogen gene to LV mass and LV mass indexed to body surface area (LVMI) differed significantly between subjects with normotensive and hypertensive conditions with respect to the direction of association (P <.005). The methionine-threonine/threonine-threonine genotype was negatively associated with LV mass and LVMI in patients with hypertension after adjustment for blood pressure, antihypertensive medication use, weight, and other covariates (P <.001), and patients with normotensive conditions with the methionine-threonine/threonine-threonine genotype had higher LV mass and LVMI (P =.04, for LV mass; P =.14, for LVMI). The association in patients with normotensive conditions was not influenced by blood pressure but was partly confounded by weight. CONCLUSION: Variation in the angiotensinogen gene was modestly associated with LV mass independently of covariates in patients with hypertensive conditions. The direction of the association was opposite to that observed in patients with normotensive conditions, probably because of the influence of other risk factors or antihypertensive medication use or both.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2002

Association of left ventricular hypertrophy with metabolic risk factors: the HyperGEN study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether combinations of metabolic risk factors (obesity, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia) influence the magnitude of left ventricular (LV) mass and prevalence of LV hypertrophy. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, relational. METHODS: A total of 1627 hypertensive (85.9% treated, 1036 women, 1041 African Americans) and 342 normotensive (180 women, 183 African Americans) participants in the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN) Study, without prevalent cardiovascular disease, were studied. Echocardiographic LV mass, normalized by height(2.7) or fat-free mass or body surface area (BSA) and the ratio of stroke volume to pulse pressure as a percentage of predicted (as a crude estimate of arterial compliance) were analyzed in relation to obesity [by body mass index (BMI)], central fat distribution (by waist circumference), diabetes (by ADA criteria) and hypercholesterolemia. RESULTS: Obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes were more frequent among hypertensives than normotensives (all P < 0.001). After controlling for age, sex, race and type and combination of antihypertensive medication, LV mass/height(2.7), but not LV mass/fat-free mass and LV mass/BSA, increased with the number of metabolic risk factors, both in normotensive and hypertensive participants, also after further adjustment for blood pressure (all P < 0.001). Stroke volume/pulse pressure also decreased in hypertensive, but much less in normotensive subjects, with increasing number of metabolic risk factors, independently of relevant confounders (P < 0.0001). Prevalence of LV hypertrophy was predicted by older age, hypertension, central fat distribution, black race and independently increased with the number of associated metabolic risk factors (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The progressive addition of metabolic risk factors including central obesity, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia is associated with higher LV mass normalized by height(2.7), independently of hypertension and other important biological covariates. Obesity played a major role in this association. This finding indicates that LV mass is a potentially useful bioassay of strategies of global cardiovascular prevention.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2002

Sibling resemblance for left ventricular structure, contractility, and diastolic filling.

Although there is evidence that left ventricular (LV) function is genetically controlled, the contribution of familial factors to variation and covariation of LV diastolic filling, contractility, and structure is unknown. Single- and cross-trait sibling correlations were estimated using bivariate familial correlation models in 200 white (400 pairs) and 374 black (539 pairs) hypertensive sibships. LV transmitral early and late peak filling velocities, isovolumic relaxation time, atrial filling fraction, stress-corrected midwall shortening, and LV mass and structure were measured and adjusted for important covariates in race-specific linear regression models. Single-trait sibling correlation was strongest for early peak filling velocity. Significant cross-trait sibling correlation was detected between early and late peak filling velocities. In whites, early peak filling velocity and atrial filling fraction, and isovolumic relaxation time and end-diastolic posterior wall thickness, were also significantly correlated. Familial factors common to early and late peak filling velocities contributed to 64% and 54% of sibling resemblance in early peak filling velocity and to 76% and 77% in late peak filling velocity in blacks and whites, respectively. In whites, 100% of sibling resemblance in isovolumic relaxation time was shared by posterior wall thickness, whereas 75% of sibling influence in posterior wall thickness was common to isovolumic relaxation time. In conclusion, significant cross-trait sibling resemblance was detected between (1) early and late filling parameters and (2) isovolumic relaxation time and posterior wall thickness, suggesting pleiotropy and/or common environment on these traits. These data have potential importance in understanding heritability of LV diastolic function in hypertension.

Diastole↗