RESUMO
Lerner's concept of developmental homeostasis, formerly elaborated with regard to the study of morphological traits, is proposed as a way of analysing the heritability of blood pressure. The important and controversial contribution of the autonomic nervous system to blood pressure regulation is also discussed with the aid of the hyperkinetic state, an entity described by Julius and Schork, and considered as an etiological factor in the occurrence of borderline hypertension. Experimental support through an analysis of a study performed on 87 pedigrees of normal healthy individuals is provided. The analysis calculates the heritabilities of systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as heart rate. A classification in four categories, taking into account the hyperkinetic state, using the combined values of heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure is proposed, and its value regarding the categorization of normal individuals is emphasized and discussed simultaneously with the heritabilities calculated, in an attempt to explain the contribution of Lerner's theory to the inheritance of blood pressure.
