Sibling aggregation of blood pressure: Nature or nurture?

The finding of sibling aggregation of blood pressure has been extended to include young children. At the Specialized Center of Research, University of Miami School of Medicine, we have demonstrated this tendency among a group of sibships each of which contains a 1-month-old infant. In another study, we have demonstrated higher correlations between blood pressures of full siblings than half-siblings. These findings, taken together, are most compatible with the existence of genetic determinants of the tendency toward sibling aggregation of blood pressure.