Families with a history of high blood pressure are less likely to have children with the reading disorder dyslexia, according to new research by Oxford scientists.
Yesterday's announcement comes just days after another group of city researchers said it was closer to pinpointing the genetic cause of the condition, which affects one in ten children in the UK.
In the latest research, led by Dr Kathleen Taylor, of Oxford University's Laboratory of Physiology, 112 dyslexic youngsters aged six to 18 were studied. Of these, 63 came from families with no history of high blood pressure, which can cause strokes and heart attacks.
Parents of 16 families with more than one dyslexic child were also questioned, and only seven of them had a history of high blood pressure.
Further studies of the dyslexic children showed those with relatives suffering from high blood pressure performed better on number recall, reading and spelling, which are usually difficult tasks for dyslexics.
In the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, Dr Taylor said further studies were planned.
On Friday, Prof Tony Monaco, director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, in Oxford, revealed a genetic link to the disorder had been pinpointed after studying 200 families.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article