Impact of a Family History of Hypertension and Physical Activity on Left Ventricular Mass

This is a retrospective analysis of data collected within two previous studies. The data has been combined and used to investigate the impact of having a family history of hypertension on left ventricular muscle mass with and without controlling for moderate and vigorous intensity physical activity frequency per week. The hypothesis was that in a sample of mostly active participants, no differences in left ventricular mass between family history of hypertension groups would be observed, but the positive family history of hypertension group would have elevated left ventricular mass compared to the negative family history of hypertension group following statistical control of activity frequency.

A positive family history of hypertension (FHH) (+FHH) is associated with elevated left ventricular mass (LVM). Regular physical activity (PA) may eliminate differences in LVM between +FHH and negative family history of hypertension (-FHH) adults. PURPOSE: To determine if a +FHH is associated with a greater LVM compared to a -FHH group within a sample of young, mostly active healthy adults with and without statistically controlling for PA. METHODS: Healthy young (18-32yrs) participants self-reported FHH status and habitual moderate and vigorous PA frequency. Participants then underwent an echocardiogram.