The relationship between birth weight and pulse pressure in children: cross-sectional study

This cross-sectional study investigates the relationship between birth weight and pulse pressure in childhood, after adjusting for mean blood pressure values and for potential confounding factors. Blood pressure was measured in 937 schoolchildren, free from cardiovascular disease, aged between 6 and 16 years. Pulse pressure was estimated as the difference between the 24 h mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure values. Linear regression showed a significant negative association between birth weight and log-transformed pulse pressure, which after gender-specific analyses was found to be restricted to the girls in the study (adjusted regression coefficient log mmHg per kg -0.06, 95% CI -0.09 to -0.03). A previous investigation of this cohort reported a significant negative association between birth weight and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, again restricted to the girls in the cohort. The results of the present study provide limited support for the hypothesis that pulse pressure in childhood is determined in utero, particularly for female subjects. However, as little research has been published in this area, further investigation is required and in particular it would be important to assess whether such gender differences are apparent in other cohorts.