Related Experiment Videos
Birth weight influences blood pressure values and variability in children and adolescents
E Lurbe1, I Torro, C Rodríguez
1Pediatric Nephrology Unit, Department of Pediatrics, General Hospital, Valencia, Spain.
Insights
Children with lower birth weights had higher blood pressure and blood pressure variability. This association between birth weight and ambulatory blood pressure remained significant even after accounting for current body weight and other factors.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Cardiovascular Health
- Public Health
Background:
- Birth weight is a critical indicator of fetal development and can influence long-term health outcomes.
- Elevated blood pressure in childhood is a risk factor for adult hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
- Understanding early life determinants of blood pressure is crucial for preventative strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between birth weight and both the levels and variability of ambulatory blood pressure in children.
- To determine if birth weight independently predicts blood pressure and its variability, controlling for other factors.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 630 healthy children (aged 4-18 years) born at term was divided into five birth weight groups.
- Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was conducted for all participants.
- Statistical analyses, including multiple regression, were used to assess associations between birth weight and blood pressure parameters.
Main Results:
- Children with the lowest birth weights exhibited significantly higher ambulatory blood pressure values and variability compared to those with higher birth weights.
- Birth weight was an independent predictor of 24-hour systolic blood pressure and its variability, even after adjusting for current weight, gender, age, and height.
- No significant differences in heart rate were observed across birth weight groups.
Conclusions:
- Lower birth weight is associated with increased blood pressure levels and variability in children, independent of current body size.
- This suggests that birth weight may play a role in the early development of hypertension.
- Further research is needed to explore the long-term implications of birth weight-related blood pressure variability on vascular health.
Abstract:
The objective of the present study was to assess the relationships between birth weight and the values and variability of ambulatory blood pressure. Six hundred thirty healthy children (369 girls) age 4 to 18 years (mean, 9.9 years) born at term after a normotensive pregnancy were included. The subjects were divided into 5 groups according to birth weight. For each subject, a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was performed according to the protocol designed. Average and variability (estimated as the standard deviation) of ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate were calculated separately for 24-hour, daytime, and nighttime periods. When values were adjusted for gender, current age, weight, and height, children with the lowest birth weights had the highest ambulatory blood pressure values and variability, whereas no differences in heart rate were observed. Multiple regression analysis showed that although current weight was the strongest predictor for 24-hour systolic blood pressure (P<0.001), there was also an independent and significant inverse relationship for birth weight (P<0.002) after controlling for gender, current age, and height. Likewise, birth weight was independently and inversely correlated with 24-hour systolic blood pressure variability (P<0.03). In conclusion, children who had lower birth weights tended to have not only the highest blood pressure values but also the highest blood pressure variability, independent of the increases in ambulatory blood pressure values. Knowing that high blood pressure variability is at least partially independent of blood pressure values, the importance of this variability on further blood pressure rises and/or on vascular damage later in life needs to be assessed in future studies.