Parental hypertension as a predictor of hypertension in black physicians: the Meharry Cohort Study.

Parental histories were obtained for a cohort of black medical students in a longitudinal study of hypertension precursors. At follow-up, 25 to 30 years later, initial and current parental histories for hypertension were compared with other precursor characteristics as well as resulting cohort hypertension. The number of participants having no positive parental history for hypertension as parents aged declined from 55% to 24%. Hypertension among black physicians varied according to parental history: 38.9% for both parents negative, 41.4% for mother only positive, 60.5% for father only positive, and 73.7% for both parents positive. Parental history of hypertension was an independent predictor of subject hypertension. Positive parental history in combination with weight gain and high normal baseline systolic and diastolic blood pressure produced a gradient of risk corresponding to the number of risk factors present. Having all four risk factors increased the hypertension risk by 15 times. Parental history together with weight gain, blood pressure, and smoking provide a strong predictor of hypertension. Weight and blood pressure control, along with cessation of smoking, should be considered important factors in the clinical management of such patients.