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Perinatal factors associated with blood pressure during childhood
E Bergel1, E Haelterman, J Belizán
1Centro Rosarino de Estudios Perinatales, Rosario, Argentina.
Insights
Maternal hemoglobin levels during pregnancy were linked to higher childhood blood pressure. However, other adverse fetal environment factors showed weak associations with blood pressure in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Obstetrics
- Cardiovascular Health
Background:
- Childhood blood pressure is a critical indicator of future cardiovascular health.
- The intrauterine environment's role in long-term health outcomes, including blood pressure, is an area of ongoing research.
- Understanding fetal influences on childhood blood pressure can inform preventative strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between adverse intrauterine environmental factors and childhood blood pressure.
- To identify specific maternal and birth characteristics that may predict elevated blood pressure in children.
- To examine the influence of fetal environment on systolic blood pressure in children aged 5-9 years.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of a prospective cohort from a randomized controlled trial involving 518 children.
- Data collected from healthy, nulliparous women and their children in Rosario, Argentina.
- Systolic blood pressure measured in children aged 5-9 years; maternal factors and birth measurements analyzed.
Main Results:
- Maternal hemoglobin levels during pregnancy showed a positive association with children's systolic blood pressure.
- Other maternal factors (e.g., blood pressure, smoking, weight gain) and birth size metrics were not significantly associated with childhood blood pressure.
- Low birth weight was a risk factor for higher systolic blood pressure only in overweight children, with an increase of 14.8 mmHg.
Conclusions:
- The study found weak support for a strong association between most adverse fetal environment variables and childhood blood pressure in this healthy population.
- Childhood body mass index and maternal blood pressure outside of pregnancy were identified as the primary predictors of childhood blood pressure.
- Low birth weight's impact on blood pressure appears conditional, particularly in overweight children, suggesting complex interactions.
Abstract:
This study aims to determine whether variables reflecting an adverse intrauterine environment are associated with childhood blood pressure. The authors conducted a secondary analysis of data from a prospective cohort of children born to healthy, nulliparous women enrolled in a randomized controlled trial. A total of 518 children were traced in 1995-1996 from 614 eligible children born in a clinic in Rosario, Argentina. The outcome was systolic blood pressure at 5-9 years. Hemoglobin during pregnancy was positively associated with children's pressure. Other maternal characteristics during pregnancy (blood pressure, smoking, weight gain, weight at 20 weeks' gestation, and glycemia) and size at birth (birth weight, ponderal index, head circumference/length ratio, and small for gestational age) were not associated with children's pressure. Among children in the upper quartile of body mass index, there was a weak inverse correlation between birth weight and systolic pressure, and systolic pressure was 14.8 mmHg (95 percent confidence interval: 3.3, 26.4) higher in low birth weight children than in others. The main predictors of childhood pressure were childhood body mass index and maternal pressure outside pregnancy. In this healthy population, the authors found weak support for an association between variables reflecting an adverse fetal environment and childhood blood pressure. Low birth weight was a risk factor for high blood pressure only in overweight children.