Abstract
Birthweight is inversely related to blood pressure, but there is debate over whether this depends on influences acting during prenatal life, or adverse experiences in postnatal life which are associated with low birthweight. We have examined the relations of prenatal growth and growth in the first year of life to blood pressure in children and adults.
The Brompton study measured growth and blood pressure annually from birth to 10 years in a population sample of 1797 children. The Hertfordshire study measured blood pressure at mean age 64 years in a population sample of 841 men whose birthweight and weight at one year were known.
In children and adults blood pressure was negatively related to birthweight. The strength of this negative relation increased with age: the increase in systolic pressure (mm Hg) per kilogram decrease in birthweight was 1.0 (standard error 0.7) at 3 years, 1.6 (standard error 0.6) at 8 years and 4.0 (standard error 1.4) at 64 years. After taking account of birthweight, blood pressure was not related to growth during the first year of life.
These analyses suggest that the relation of birthweight with blood pressure reflects prenatal rather than postnatal influences. Augmentation of blood pressure, described in secondary hypertension, may explain the increasing effect of birthweight on blood pressure as age increases.
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Law, C., Barker, D., Cruddas, A. et al. BLOOD PRESSURE AND EARLY GROWTH: A REFLECTION OF PRE OR POSTNATAL INFLUENCES?. Pediatr Res 32, 619 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199211000-00086
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199211000-00086