Transgenerational effects of parental cardiovascular disease and risk factors on offspring mortality: family-linkage data from the HUNT Study, Norway

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular risk factors are known to be associated between parents and offspring. However, whether these associations are reflected in increased offspring mortality has not been extensively studied.

DESIGN: This was a family study of 32,536 father-offspring and 39,614 mother-offspring pairs who participated in the HUNT Study, Norway.

METHODS: Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for offspring total and cardiovascular mortality associated with parental levels of cardiovascular disease risk factors were estimated using Cox regression.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Fathers' and mothers' reporting of cardiovascular disease (HRs: 1.18; 95% CI 1.04-1.32 and 1.20; 1.07-1.35, respectively), diabetes (HRs: 1.22; 95% CI 1.00-1.49 and 1.21; 1.05-1.40, respectively), and current smoking (HRs: 1.21; 95% CI 1.08-1.36 and 1.30; 1.15-1.47, respectively) was associated with total mortality in offspring. An inverse association was found with maternal height (HR: 0.95; 95% CI 0.91-0.99), and a suggestive inverse association with paternal height (HR: 0.98; 95% CI 0.93-1.03). Relations with offspring cardiovascular mortality were less clear and consistent. Offspring whose parents both had a risk factor did not seem to have higher mortality than would be expected from the independent effects of each parent.