Skin Color and Blood Pressure

doi:10.1001/jama.1991.03460050093028

Skin Color and Blood Pressure

Genetics or Environment?

Robert F. Murray, Jr, MD

From the Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC.

Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.

Excerpt

What possible basis could there be for the association between the amount of melanin in the skin and increased blood pressure that has been found by a number of investigators? The Table summarizes the findings of some of the studies of this association that have been reported since 1970.¹ Three of these studies^1-3 showed a positive association between the degree of pigmentation and level of blood pressure, while two reports by Keil et al^4,5 showed that blood pressure was associated with education and social class but not the degree of skin pigmentation.

The study by Klag et al⁶ in this issue of The Journal has added to the literature on this topic by studying the blood pressure—skin pigmentation association in a much more controlled fashion. This relationship has been controlled for environmental factors previously demonstrated to contribute to elevated blood pressure. These variables include obesity, blood

Footnotes

Reprint requests to Department of Pediatrics, Division of Medical Genetics, Howard University College of Medicine, Box 75, Washington, DC 20059 (Dr Murray).