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Biomedical subjects

G Heiss

Publications and source records attributed to G Heiss.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Elevated fasting insulin predicts incident hypertension: the ARIC study. Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study Investigators.

OBJECTIVE: The prospective association of insulin and hypertension has been under debate in the context of the development of the insulin resistance or multiple metabolic syndrome. We examined the predictive associations of fasting serum insulin with incident hypertension occurring alone or as part of the multiple metabolic syndrome. DESIGN: Analyses were restricted to 5221 middle-aged participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study cohort who were free of component disorders of the multiple metabolic syndrome (hypertension; diabetes; high triglycerides and/or low HDL cholesterol (dyslipidaemias)) at baseline. OUTCOME: A total of 1018 individuals developed hypertension, 801 in the absence of components of the metabolic syndrome and 217 in combination with diabetes or dyslipidaemias, between 1987 and 1993. RESULTS: Elevated fasting insulin (top quartile versus lowest quartile) was associated with overall incident hypertension in European Americans [hazard rate ratio (HRR) 2.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7-2.4] but the results were inconclusive in African Americans (HRR 1.3, 95% CI 0.9-1.8) after adjustment for age, gender and study centre. Among European Americans, body mass index and abdominal girth only partly explained the observed association. Elevated fasting insulin was more strongly predictive of hypertension occurring as a component of the multiple metabolic syndrome (HRR 2.4, 95% CI 1.5-3.9) than of hypertension occurring alone (HRR 1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.7) adjusting statistically for age, gender, study centre, body mass index and abdominal girth. CONCLUSIONS: The results are consistent with the concept of an aetiological heterogeneity for hypertension and may explain previously reported inconsistent findings on the association of insulin with incident hypertension.

Black or African American↗

Catalytic properties of the 3-chlorocatechol-oxidizing 2, 3-dihydroxybiphenyl 1,2-dioxygenase from Sphingomonas sp. strain BN6.

The 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl dioxygenase from Sphingomonas sp. strain BN6 (BphC1-BN6) differs from most other extradiol dioxygenases by its ability to oxidize 3-chlorocatechol to 3-chloro-2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde by a distal cleavage mechanism. The turnover of different substrates and the effects of various inhibitors on BphC1-BN6 were compared with those of another 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl dioxygenase from the same strain (BphC2-BN6) as well as with those of the archetypical catechol 2,3-dioxygenase (C23O-mt2) encoded by the TOL plasmid. Cell extracts containing C23O-mt2 or BphC2-BN6 converted the relevant substrates with an almost constant rate for at least 10 min, whereas BphC1-BN6 was inactivated significantly within the first minutes during the turnover of all substrates tested. Furthermore, BphC1-BN6 was much more sensitive than the other two enzymes to inactivation by the Fe(II) ion-chelating compound o-phenanthroline. The reason for inactivation of BphC1-BN6 appeared to be the loss of the weakly bound ferrous ion, which is the cofactor in the catalytic center. A mutant enzyme of BphC1-BN6 constructed by site-directed mutagenesis showed a higher stability to inactivation by o-phenanthroline and an increased catalytic efficiency for the conversion of 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl and 3-methylcatechol but was still inactivated during substrate oxidation.

Catalytic Domain↗

Descriptive epidemiology of blood pressure response to change in body position. The ARIC study.

The epidemiology of a common measure of cardiovascular reactivity, the change in systolic blood pressure (DeltaSBP) from the supine to the standing position, is described in a cohort of 13 340 men and women aged 45 to 65 years enrolled in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. The distribution of DeltaSBP was found to be symmetrical and unimodal, with a mean value near zero (-0.45 mm Hg). The range of DeltaSBP was from -63.2 to 54.3 mm Hg, and the standard deviation was 10.8. Stratification of DeltaSBP by race and gender shows a slight shift in distribution toward higher values for black men and women. DeltaSBP was categorized into deciles. Participants in the top 30% and bottom 30% of the distribution were compared with individuals in the middle 40% of the distribution, who had little or no change in SBP on standing. Participants in the bottom 30% (ie, SBP decreased on standing) were significantly older, had a greater prevalence of hypertension and peripheral vascular disease, had higher values of SBP, and had more cigarette-years of smoking. Among participants in the top 30% (ie, SBP increased on standing), a significantly larger proportion were black, mean seated SBP was higher, and the predicted risk of developing coronary heart disease after 8 years was greater. The response of SBP to change in posture showed considerable variability in a population sample of middle-aged adults. Cardiovascular morbidity, sociodemographic factors, and cigarette smoking were associated with the magnitude and direction of the postural change.

Age Factors↗

Arterial stiffness and the development of hypertension. The ARIC study.

Decreased elasticity in large and medium-sized arteries has been postulated to be associated with cardiovascular diseases. We prospectively examined the relation between arterial elasticity and the development of hypertension over 6 years of follow-up in a cohort of 6992 normotensive men and women aged 45 to 64 years at baseline from the biracial, population-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. Arterial elasticity was measured from high-resolution B-mode ultrasound examination of the left common carotid artery as adjusted arterial diameter change (in micrometers, simultaneously adjusted for diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, pulse pressure squared, diastolic arterial diameter, and height), Peterson's elastic modulus (in kilopascals), Young's elastic modulus (in kilopascals), and beta stiffness index. Incident hypertension (n=551) was defined as systolic blood pressure >/=160 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure >/=95 mm Hg, or the use of antihypertensive medication at a follow-up examination conducted every 3 years. The age-, ethnicity-, center-, gender-, education-, smoking-, heart rate-, and obesity-adjusted means (SE) of baseline adjusted arterial diameter change, Peterson's elastic modulus, Young's elastic modulus, and beta stiffness index were 397 (5), 148 (2.0), 787 (12.7), and 11.43 (0.16), respectively, in persons who developed hypertension during follow-up, in contrast to 407 (1), 124 (0.6), 681 (3.7), and 10.34 (0.05), respectively, for persons who did not. The similarly adjusted cumulative incident rates of hypertension from the highest to the lowest quartiles of arterial elasticity were 6.7%, 8.0%, 7.3%, and 9.6%, respectively, when measured by adjusted arterial diameter change (P<0.01). One standard deviation decrease in arterial elasticity was associated with 15% greater risk of hypertension, independent of established risk factors for hypertension and the level of baseline blood pressure. These results suggest that lower arterial elasticity is related to the development of hypertension.

Age Factors↗

Demographic and anthropometric correlates of maximum inspiratory pressure: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP), an indicator of inspiratory muscle strength, is reported on 13,005 African-American and white participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Sex-specific associations between MIP and age, anthropometric measures, physical activity, health status, smoking status, and education level are presented. In this cohort of subjects 47 to 68 yr of age, MIP decreased 0.93 cm H2O (p </= 0.0001) in women and 1.2 cm H2O (p </= 0.0001) in men for each 1-yr increase in age. In both sexes, after adjusting for age, the associations between MIP and current body weight, weight at 25 yr of age, waist girth, body mass index, and calf girth were statistically significant and nonlinear (convex quadratic). MIP was positively associated with standing height in both sexes after controlling for age (p </= 0.03). The age-adjusted association between MIP and sitting height was nonlinear in men and linear in women. MIP was also associated (positively) with education level, health status, physical activity, and (negatively) cigarette smoking. The study was not designed to evaluate associations with race, but data patterns suggest the absence of a race effect on MIP.

Aged↗

Lower pulmonary function and cerebral subclinical abnormalities detected by MRI: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between pulmonary function and (1) cerebral infarction and (2) white matter lesions (WMLs), identified by MRI and believed to represent subclinical lesions of arteriosclerosis, generalized hypoperfusion, or ischemia of the brain. DESIGN: Population-based, cross-sectional study. SETTING: Two communities in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 1,917 African-American and white men and women 55 to 72 years old who were selected from the second follow-up examination of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study cohort. INTERVENTIONS: Observational study. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The lung function indexes, FEV1 and FVC, were assessed according to American Thoracic Society criteria. Subclinical cerebral infarction and WMLs were assessed by MRI. After adjusting for age, ethnicity, gender, height, and height squared, a 1-SD decrease of FEV1 in nonsmokers was associated with odds ratios (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31 to 2.03) of 1.63 for infarction and 1.35 (95% CI, 1.08 to 1.69) for WMLs. Of those in the lowest quartile of FEV1, 15% had infarction and WMLs, in contrast to 6% of the individuals in the uppermost quartile of FEV1. Consistent associations were also observed by using FVC as an index of pulmonary function. Similar patterns of association were found among current smokers. The associations were not altered by additional adjustment of conventional risk factors of cardiovascular disease, comorbidity, or cognitive function. CONCLUSION: The results from this population-based study suggest that lower pulmonary function is associated with subclinical cerebral abnormalities.

Brain↗

Factor VIII and other hemostasis variables are related to incident diabetes in adults. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate whether selected hemostasis variables, some of which may reflect inflammation or endothelial dysfunction, are independently associated with the development of diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We studied a biethnic cohort of 12,330 men and women, 45-64 years of age, of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. New cases of diabetes were diagnosed by a reported physician diagnosis, hypoglycemic medication use, or a casual or fasting serum glucose level of > or = 11.1 or > or = 7 mmol/l, respectively. RESULTS: Over an average follow-up of 7 years, 1,335 new cases of diabetes were detected. The odds ratios (4th versus 1st quartile) of developing diabetes, adjusted by logistic regression for age, sex, race, study center, family history of diabetes, fasting glucose, physical activity, and smoking, were 1.2 (95% CI 1.0-1.5) for fibrinogen and 1.4 (1.1-1.6) for factor VII. Associations for factor VIII, von Willebrand factor, and activated partial thromboplastin time were found to be 1.8 (1.3-2.3), 1.4 (1.1-1.8), and 0.63 (0.49-0.82), respectively, in women. Although further adjustment for BMI and waist-to-hip ratio diminished the relationships, a highly statistically significant association (P = 0.001) remained for factor VIII (1.6 [1.2-2.1]) in women. CONCLUSIONS: Factor VIII and other hemostasis variables are associated with the development of diabetes in middle-aged adults. These findings support a role for inflammation and, particularly in women, endothelial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes.

Arteriosclerosis↗

Prospective associations of fasting insulin, body fat distribution, and diabetes with risk of ischemic stroke. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study Investigators.

OBJECTIVE: We tested the hypothesis that diabetes, body fat distribution, and (in nondiabetic subjects) fasting insulin levels are positively associated with ischemic stroke incidence in the general population. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: As part of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, we measured diabetes by using fasting glucose criteria, waist and hip circumferences, and fasting insulin levels with a radioimmunoassay in > 12,000 adults aged 45-64 years who had no cardiovascular disease at baseline. We followed them for 6-8 years for ischemic stroke occurrence (n = 191). RESULTS: After adjustment for age, sex, race, ARIC community, smoking, and education level, the relative risk of ischemic stroke was 3.70 (95% CI 2.7-5.1) for diabetes, 1.74 (1.4-2.2) for a 0.11 increment of waist-to-hip ratio, and 1.19 (1.1-1.3) for a 50-pmol/l increment of fasting insulin among nondiabetic subjects. Ischemic stroke incidence was not statistically significantly associated with BMI (comparably adjusted relative risk = 1.15, 95% CI 0.97-1.36). With adjustment for other stroke risk factors (some of which may mediate the effects of diabetes, fat distribution, and hyperinsulinemia), the relative risks for diabetes, waist-to-hip ratio, and fasting insulin level were 2.22 (95% CI 1.5-3.2), 1.08 (0.8-1.4), and 1.14 (1.01-1.3), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes is a strong risk factor for ischemic stroke. Aspects of insulin resistance, as reflected by elevated waist-to-hip ratios and elevated fasting insulin levels, may also contribute to a greater risk of ischemic stroke.

Adipose Tissue↗

Trends in the incidence of myocardial infarction and in mortality due to coronary heart disease, 1987 to 1994.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: To clarify the determinants of contemporary trends in mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD), we conducted surveillance of hospital admissions for myocardial infarction and of in-hospital and out-of-hospital deaths due to CHD among 35-to-74-year-old residents of four communities of varying size in the United States (a total of 352,481 persons in 1994). Between 1987 and 1994, we estimate that there were 11,869 hospitalizations for myocardial infarction (on the basis of 8572 hospitalizations sampled) and 3407 fatal coronary events (3023 sampled). RESULTS: The largest average annual decrease in mortality due to CHD occurred among white men (change in mortality, -4.7 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, -2.2 to -7.1 percent), followed by white women (-4.5 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, -0.7 to -8.2 percent), black women (-4.1 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, -10.3 to +2.5 percent), and black men (-2.5 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, -6.9 to +2.2 percent). Overall, in-hospital mortality from CHD fell by 5.1 percent per year, whereas out-of-hospital mortality declined by 3.6 percent per year. There was no evidence of a decline in the incidence of hospitalization for a first myocardial infarction among either men or women; in fact, such hospital admissions increased by 7.4 percent per year (95 percent confidence interval for the change, +0.5 to +14.8 percent) among black women and 2.9 percent per year (95 percent confidence interval, -3.6 to +9.9 percent) among black men. Rates of recurrent myocardial infarction decreased, and survival after myocardial infarction improved. CONCLUSIONS: From 1987 to 1994, we observed a stable or slightly increasing incidence of hospitalization for myocardial infarction. Nevertheless, there were significant annual decreases in mortality from CHD. The decline in mortality in the four communities we studied may be due largely to improvements in the treatment and secondary prevention of myocardial infarction.

Adult↗

Angiotensinogen and angiotensin converting enzyme genotypes and carotid atherosclerosis: the atherosclerosis risk in communities and the NHLBI family heart studies.

BACKGROUND: Polymorphisms of the renin-angiotensin system are associated with cardiovascular pathology. Therefore, the association of the insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene and the T235 (methionine to threonine substitution) polymorphism of the angiotensinogen (AGT) gene with intima-media thickness of the carotid artery was investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS: Subjects were randomly selected from two centers participating in both the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) and NHLBI Family Heart Studies. Probands were 45-64 years of age who were free of cardiovascular disease and had B-mode ultrasound measured carotid intima-media thickness. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction amplification was used to evaluate the ACE I/D and AGT T235 polymorphisms: genotype information was available on 495 and 475 participants, respectively. The frequencies of the ACE D and AGT T alleles were 0.56 and 0.52, respectively; 30% were homozygous for the ACE D allele, and 29% were homozygous for the AGT T allele. After adjustment for systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive medication use, diabetes, age, sex and LDL cholesterol, the mean intima-media thickness was 0.729, 0.732 and 0.721 mm in the ACE DD, ID, and II genotypes, respectively (partial F test 1.53, P = 0.22), and 0.727, 0.732 and 0.724 mm in the AGT MM, MT, and TT genotypes, respectively (partial F test 0.91, P = 0.40). Combining the genotypes for ACE and AGT, there were also no differences in intima-media thickness across the eight joint genotypes. CONCLUSION: We found no evidence that the ACE I/D and AGT T235 polymorphisms of the renin-angiotensin system were associated with carotid intima-media thickness in this population-based sample of middle-aged adults with no history of cardiovascular disease. The lack of an association between these variants and intima-media thickness may indicate that early atherosclerosis is mediated by factors other than these RAS polymorphisms.

Angiotensinogen↗

Provitamin A carotenoid intake and carotid artery plaques: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

We examined the cross-sectional association between intake of carotenoids with provitamin A activity and carotid artery plaques in 12,773 participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study aged 45-64 y. Usual diet was assessed with a 66-item food-frequency questionnaire. Plaques were examined by B-mode ultrasound of multiple carotid artery segments. In both women and men, those in the highest quintile of carotenoid consumption had a lower prevalence of plaques (women, 25.4%; men, 36.0%) than those in the lowest quintile of carotenoid consumption (women, 29.3%; men, 39.8%). The prevalence odds ratios contrasting extreme intake quintiles were 0.82 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.97) in women and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.72, 1.01) in men. The associations diminished slightly after potential confounders were adjusted for. In women, the inverse association was particularly strong for current smokers (adjusted odds ratio contrasting extreme quintiles: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.45, 0.98). In men, no such effect modification by smoking was seen. The inverse association was somewhat stronger in men aged 55-64 y than in those aged 45-54 y, whereas age made little difference in women. These findings, together with previous findings that carotenoid intake was unrelated to average carotid artery wall thickness, suggest that carotenoids may exert their influence later rather than earlier in the atherosclerotic process, and support the hypothesis that carotenoids or other plant-derived compounds may play a role in preventing arterial plaque formation.

Arteriosclerosis↗

Distal cleavage of 3-chlorocatechol by an extradiol dioxygenase to 3-chloro-2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde.

A 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl 1,2-dioxygenase from the naphthalenesulfonate-degrading bacterium Sphingomonas sp. strain BN6 oxidized 3-chlorocatechol to a yellow product with a strongly pH-dependent absorption maximum at 378 nm. A titration curve suggested (de)protonation of an ionizable group with a pKa of 4.4. The product was isolated, purified, and converted, by treatment with diazomethane, to a dimethyl derivative and, by incubation with ammonium chloride, to a picolinic acid derivative. Mass spectra and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data for these two derivatives prove a 3-chloro-2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde structure for the metabolite, resulting from distal (1,6) cleavage of 3-chlorocatechol. 3-Methylcatechol and 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl are oxidized by this enzyme, in contrast, via proximal (2,3) cleavage.

Aldehydes↗

Correlates of cognitive function in middle-aged adults. Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study Investigators.

The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study administered cognitive function tests to more than 14,000 middle-aged adults in 1990-1992. The battery included the Delayed Word Recall test, the Digit Symbol Subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised, and the Controlled Oral Word Association (Word Fluency) test. Test performance was correlated positively with education level, negatively with age, was better in women than in men, and better in managers/professionals compared with other occupations. After controlling for these factors, race and community, the findings most consistent for both sexes were that Delayed Word Recall was negatively associated with depressive symptoms, diabetes, and fibrinogen level; the Digit Symbol Subtest was associated with marital status, negatively associated with depressive symptoms, smoking status, fibrinogen level, and carotid intima-media thickness, and positively associated with alcohol drinking and FEV1; and the Word Fluency test was positively associated with marital status, alcohol drinking, sports participation, and FEV1. Most of these cross-sectional results were in the predicted direction and have biologic plausibility, but mean differences between extreme categories were small (generally on the order of 0.1 to 0.2 of a standard deviation). Longitudinal study is warranted to evaluate whether small differences in middle-age lead to larger, clinically meaningful deficits with aging.

Age Distribution↗

Association of coronary heart disease incidence with carotid arterial wall thickness and major risk factors: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, 1987-1993.

Few studies have determined whether greater carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) in asymptomatic individuals is associated prospectively with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). In the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, carotid IMT, an index of generalized atherosclerosis, was defined as the mean of IMT measurements at six sites of the carotid arteries using B-mode ultrasound. The authors assessed its relation to CHD incidence over 4-7 years of follow-up (1987-1993) in four US communities (Forsyth County, North Carolina; Jackson, Mississippi; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Washington County, Maryland) from samples of 7,289 women and 5,552 men aged 45-64 years who were free of clinical CHD at baseline. There were 96 incident events for women and 194 for men. In sex-specific Cox proportional hazards models adjusted only for age, race, and center, the hazard rate ratio comparing extreme mean IMT (> or = 1 mm) to not extreme (< 1 mm) was 5.07 for women (95% confidence interval 3.08-8.36) and 1.85 for men (95% confidence interval 1.28-2.69). The relation was graded (monotonic), and models with cubic splines indicated significant nonlinearity. The strength of the association was reduced by including major CHD risk factors, but remained elevated at higher IMT. Up to 1 mm mean IMT, women had lower adjusted annual event rates than did men, but above 1 mm their event rate was closer to that of men. Thus, mean carotid IMT is a noninvasive predictor of future CHD incidence.

Age Distribution↗

Cardiac autonomic function and incident coronary heart disease: a population-based case-cohort study. The ARIC Study. Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Cardiac autonomic activity, as assessed by heart rate variability, has been found to be associated with postmyocardial infarction mortality, sudden death, and all-cause mortality. However, the association of heart rate variability and the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) is not well described. The authors report on the association of baseline cardiac autonomic activity (1987-1989) with incident CHD after 3 years (1990-1992) of follow-up of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study cohort selected from four study centers in the United States by using a case-cohort design. The authors examined 137 incident cases of CHD and a stratified random sample of 2,252 examinees free of CHD at baseline. Baseline, supine, resting beat-to-beat heart rate data were collected. High- (0.16-0.35 Hz) and low- (0.025-0.15 Hz) frequency spectral powers and high-/low-frequency power ratio, estimated from spectral analysis, and standard deviation of all normal R-R intervals, calculated from time domain analysis, were used as the conventional indices of cardiac parasympathetic, sympatho-parasympathetic, and their balance, respectively. Incident CHD was defined as hospitalized myocardial infarction, fatal CHD, or cardiac revascularization procedures during 3 years of follow-up. The age, race, gender, and other CHD risk factor-adjusted relative risks (and 95% confidence intervals) of incident CHD comparing the lowest quartile with the upper three quartiles of high-frequency power, low-frequency power, high-/low-frequency power ratio, and standard deviation of R-R intervals were 1.72 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17-2.51), 1.09 (95% CI 0.72-1.64), 1.25 (95% CI 0.84-1.86), and 1.39 (95% CI 0.94-2.04), respectively. The findings from this population-based, prospective study suggest that altered cardiac autonomic activity, especially lower parasympathetic activity, is associated with the risk of developing CHD.

Case-Control Studies↗

Familial components of the multiple metabolic syndrome: the ARIC study.

The association of a parental history of diabetes mellitus and hypertension with the multiple metabolic syndrome (MMS) was studied in a population survey of middle-aged adults. The eligible population was drawn from the baseline examination of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, a population-based, bi-ethnic, multi-centre cohort study. The MMS was defined as a multivariate, categorical phenotype of co-occurring diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia. MMS cases (n = 356) were compared to disorder-free control subjects (n = 6797) with respect to their parental history of diabetes and hypertension. MMS cases were more likely to report a history of diabetes in both parents (odds ratio [OR] 4.7, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.5-14.7) or a history of hypertension in both parents (OR 1.9, 95 % CI 1.1-3.0) than control subjects, adjusting for BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, age, gender, and ethnicity/centre. A parental history of diabetes and hypertension in both parents was associated with the greatest increase in odds of MMS (OR 8.3, 95 % CI 3.0-22.8). A dose-response relationship between the number of parental disorders (one; two; three to four) and the odds of MMS was observed (OR 1.2, 95 % CI 0.9-1.7; OR 2.0, 95 % CI 1.4-2.8; OR 4.0, 95 % CI 2.5-6.2). Based on the marked associations observed between a parental history of MMS components and the clustering of these metabolic disorders in the offspring generation, we conclude that genetic and/or non-genetic familial influences play a role in the development of the multiple metabolic syndrome.

Case-Control Studies↗