1995; Baumbach 1996) and may cause endothelial dysfunction (Ryan et al. 1995). PP is a better predictor of congestive heart failure in elderly individuals than SBP (Chae et al. 1999) and is the best predictor of coronary heart disease in middle aged individuals (Franklin et al. 1999). Because of the high PP at an early age, Fbln5−/− mice may be a useful model to further investigate relationships between PP and cardiovascular and cardiac disease. This evidence concerns the gene FBLN5 and heart disorder.