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Prenatal exposure to wartime stress: long-term effect on coronary heart disease in later life

Nadja K Schreier1, Elena V Moltchanova, Paul A Blomstedt

  • 1National Institute for Health and Welfare, Department of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention , Helsinki , Finland. nadja.schreier@thl.fi

Annals of Medicine
|October 28, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal stress from wartime bombings may protect women from coronary heart disease (CHD) and cerebrovascular disease later in life. This study explored the long-term health impacts of severe prenatal stress.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health
  • Reproductive Health

Background:

  • Low birth weight is linked to increased coronary heart disease (CHD) and cerebrovascular disease.
  • Prenatal stress is a potential cause of low birth weight.
  • The long-term health effects of prenatal stress are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of prenatal stress on the incidence of CHD and cerebrovascular disease in adult life.
  • To examine the association between prenatal exposure to severe stress and lifelong health outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study (n=13,039) for individuals born between 1934-1944.
  • Comparison of lifelong CHD and cerebrovascular disease hazard in individuals exposed versus unexposed to wartime bombings in utero.
  • Utilized Weibull distribution to estimate hazard functions.

Main Results:

  • Women exposed to bombings in utero showed higher survival rates for both CHD and cerebrovascular disease compared to unexposed women.
  • Results for men exposed to prenatal stress were ambiguous.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal exposure to severe stress may offer protective effects against the development of CHD in later life.
  • Findings suggest a potential long-term health benefit from prenatal stress exposure in women.

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