[Evidences for genetic transmission of pulse arterial pressure]

Systolic (PS), diastolic (PD), and pulse (PULS) arterial blood pressure were examined in 151 French-West-Indies families. After adjustment for sex, age, Na/K urinary ratio, alcohol consumption, use of anti-hypertensive drug, the distributions of PS and PD were correctly fitted by two commingled normal distributions, one of them including 5% of the highest values of blood pressure which have to be compared to the high prevalence of hypertension in this population (10 to 20%). By performing segregation analyses under Lalouel et al.'s unified model we do not support any genetic transmission for PS and PD. On the contrary, large evidence for genetic transmission of PULS was found, involving one locus, two equally frequent alleles. However dominance cannot be correctly inferred. Accordingly, PULS appears to be of larger interest than PS and PD to study the genetic regulation of the arterial blood pressure.