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Infant locomotive development and its association with adult blood pressure
Demetris Pillas1, Marika Kaakinen, Ioanna Tzoulaki
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK, d.pillas06@imperial.ac.uk.
Insights
Infant locomotion development impacts adult blood pressure. Achieving milestones like walking later in infancy is linked to higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure in adulthood.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Cardiovascular Health
Background:
- Animal models indicate shared neurophysiological regulation between locomotion and blood pressure.
- This suggests a potential link between early motor development and later cardiovascular health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between infant locomotive development and adult blood pressure levels.
- To determine if the timing of motor milestones influences future blood pressure.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, including 4,347 participants.
- Assessed locomotive and non-locomotive neuromotor development in infancy.
- Measured adult blood pressure levels at age 31.
Main Results:
- Delayed achievement in all three stages of infant locomotive development correlated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure at age 31.
- Each month of delay in walking independently was associated with a significant increase in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
- No association was found between non-locomotive neuromotor development and adult blood pressure.
Conclusions:
- Advanced infant locomotive development is associated with positive long-term cardiovascular outcomes.
- Common regulatory systems for locomotion and blood pressure may play a role in the development of hypertension over time.
Unlabelled:
Evidence from animal models suggests that locomotion and blood pressure share common neurophysiological regulatory systems. As a result of this common regulation, we hypothesized that the development of locomotion in human infants would be associated with blood pressure levels in adulthood. The study sample comprised 4,347 individuals with measures of locomotive and non-locomotive neuromotor development in infancy and adult blood pressure levels within a longitudinal birth cohort study, the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. Later development in all three stages of locomotive development during infancy was associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels at age 31. For age of walking without support, 0.34 (95 % CI 0.07 to 0.60)-mm Hg higher SBP and 0.38 (95 % CI 0.15 to 0.62)-mm Hg higher DBP were estimated for each month of later achievement (P = 0.012 for SBP; P = 0.001 for DBP). No association was identified for non-locomotive neuromotor development.
Conclusion:
These results highlight the positive sequelae of advanced locomotive development during infancy, suggesting that the common regulatory systems between locomotion and blood pressure may influence the development of raised blood pressure over time.
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