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Published on: December 31, 2015
Intimal thickness of the coronary arteries in low-birthweight infants
Erkki Pesonen1, Jesper Johnsson, Ansgar Berg
1Division of Paediatric Cardiology, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
Insights
Low birthweight in infants did not correlate with increased intimal thickness at birth. This finding suggests that early intimal thickening in small-for-date children may not be a direct cause of later cardiovascular disease risk.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Pediatric Pathology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Intimal thickening is an early sign of atherosclerosis in young individuals.
- Low birthweight is linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases later in life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between low birthweight and intimal thickness at birth.
- To determine if low birthweight predicts early signs of atherosclerosis.
Main Methods:
- Morphometric analysis of coronary arteries from 111 infants who died within 30 days of birth.
- Measurement of intimal and medial areas and internal elastic lamina length.
- Statistical comparison of intimal thickness and intimal-to-medial area ratio in relation to birthweight.
Main Results:
- A significant positive correlation was found between intimal thickness and birthweight in low-birthweight infants.
- Neither relative intimal thickness nor the intimal-to-medial area ratio increased with growth restriction.
- Total arterial wall thickness (intima and media) positively correlated with birthweight.
Conclusions:
- Intimal thickness at birth in small-for-date infants is not significantly associated with birthweight.
- Early intimal thickening in these infants may not be an etiological factor for future coronary heart disease risk.
Background:
Intimal thickening is considered to be an early manifestation of developing atherosclerosis in healthy young adults and children. Low birthweight correlates with increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases.
Aim:
To test the hypothesis that low birthweight is associated with relatively thickened intima at birth.
Methods:
The coronary arteries of 175 children were screened from serial cross-sections for maximal intimal thickening and measured morphometrically. The area of intima and media and the length of internal elastic lamina were measured. The intimal to medial area ratio and calculated thicknesses of intima were used in statistical comparisons. Only children who died within 30 d after birth (n=111) were included.
Results:
There was a significant positive correlation between intimal thickness and birthweight in low-birthweight children (p<0.006). Neither the relative thickness of the intima nor the ratio of intimal to medial area increased with increasing growth restriction. The sum of the thicknesses of arterial media and intima had a significant positive correlation with birthweight in these infants.
Conclusion:
Intimal thickness present at birth in small-for-date children does not seem to be an aetiological factor for the increased risk of coronary heart disease later in life.
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