Identification of hypertension-related QTLs in African American sib pairs

To link hypertension-related phenotypes with chromosomal loci, genome scans were performed in 150 African American sib pairs concordant for essential hypertension. Phenotypes included blood pressure, anthropomorphic measurements, and estimates of body fluid compartments as determined by impedance plethysmography. These phenotypes were also measured in 335 normotensive African Americans. Phenotypes with LOD scores >3.3 were further evaluated for significance by use of permutation procedures. Significant linkage was detected for body mass index (BMI) on chromosomes I and 8 and for the ratio of extracellular water to total body water (ECF/TBW) on chromosomes 3, 5, 6, and 7. Both BMI and ECF/TBW were greater in hypertensive sibs than in normotensive subjects (P<0.001). In a subset of hypertensive sibs and normotensive subjects, average 24-hour blood pressures were correlated with ECF/TBW (P<0.01). A region linked to BMI in the hypertensive sibs corresponds to a region of conserved synteny containing blood pressure-related QTLs in an F2 cross of Brown Norway x Dahl salt-sensitive rats. Focusing on hypertension-related phenotypes is a promising approach for identifying the genetic determinants of hypertension.