Birth weight, incident dementia risk, and PET amyloid burden: The ARIC study

The relationships among birth weight (BW), incident dementia, and amyloid beta (Aβ) are unknown.

Ten thousand four hundred seventy-six Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study participants without dementia reported their BW (1996-1998; low [< 5.5 lbs], medium [5.5-9.0 lbs], or high [> 9.0 lbs]), if premature (yes/no), and were followed for incident dementia (N dementia = 2550) through 2019. A subset (N = 312) had florbetapir positron emission tomography (2011-2014). BW was evaluated in association with dementia (Cox proportional hazards) and Aβ (logistic regression), adjusted for demographics, apolipoprotein E ε4, and vascular risk. Effect modification by race was explored.

Neither low BW nor prematurity were associated with dementia. Dementia risk was elevated in Black (adjusted hazard ratio 1.95, 95% confidence interval 1.33, 2.86) but not White participants reporting high (versus medium) BW (P-interaction = 0.001). BW was not associated with Aβ.

Low BW was not associated with dementia or Aβ. High BW was associated with dementia in Black participants only. Further research should evaluate the role of BW in dementia etiology.

Low birth weight was not associated with an increased risk of incident dementia. The association between birth weight and incident dementia was modified by race. High birth weight was associated with dementia in Black adults. Odds of elevated standardized uptake value ratio was lower for those who were low birth weight.