Background: Predisposition to hypertension has been proposed as a risk factor for development of diabetic nephropathy and hypertension. The aim of this study was to examine a possible relation between microalbuminuria (urinary albumin excretion (UAE) 20-200 micrograms/min) in diabetic and non-diabetic subjects and microalbuminuria as well as hypertension in the next generation.
Methods: We examined 280 non-diabetic subjects in a cross sectional study (mean age 47-48 years). 136 were first born offspring of non insulin dependent diabetic (NIDDM) patients and 144 were first born offspring of non-diabetic controls. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure > 140 mmHg, and/or diastolic blood pressure > 90 mmHg, and/or the presence of antihypertensive medications. Data were analysed by multiple logistic regression.
Results: We found that parental microalbuminuria was not predictive for microalbuminuria in the second generation in this population at the time of follow-up. However, microalbuminuria was predictive for hypertension in the second generation of diabetic patients, Odds ratio (OR) = 2.5, P = 0.05 when adjusted for age, gender, smoking, and obesity. In offspring of non-diabetic persons parental microalbuminuria also increased the risk of hypertension in the offspring generation, OR = 3.7, P = 0.02. Obesity was the strongest predictor for microalbuminuria and for hypertension in offspring of diabetic patient and of non-diabetic persons.
Conclusion: We found a significant relation between microalbuminuria in the parental generation and hypertension in the offspring both of a diabetic population and of a non-diabetic population.