Familial aggregation of coronary heart disease risk factors in kerman province

ABSTRACT

There is no shortage of evidence linking coronary heart disease [CHD] to various genetic and environmental factors. Nonetheless, exploring the familial aggregation of major risk factors in the Iranian population could add valuable information to the existing body of knowledge. We received data on 656 families [1614 individuals] from the Provincial Health Authority in Kerman. The data had been originally collected in a nationwide non-communicable disease control project, under the auspices of the Health Ministry's Public Health Department. In this study, we divided subjects into high- and low-risk groups based on the 75 [th] percentiles of risk factor levels. Using a random-effect Poisson regression model, we looked at the association between risk factors within families. In all models, the risk ratios [RR] were adjusted for the age gap between parents and children. Excessive weight in children showed a stronger association with overweight in the father than with the same problem in the mother [RR 2.35 versus 1.59]. Risk of high blood pressure in the father was significantly related to the risk in the mother and the child. The risk of high blood glucose showed a significant association only between parents. Similarly, hypercholesterolemia did not show a significant association between parents and children, but its RR in parent-parent associations was around 2. We did not find any significant familial aggregation for smoking. However, physical exercise in mothers doubled the rate of exercise in other family members. Although our sample size was relatively small, we found stronger associations within parent couples than between parents and children. This implies that common lifestyle may be a more prominent factor than genetic make-up