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Relation between birth weight and blood pressure: longitudinal study of infants and children
L J Launer1, A Hofman, D E Grobbee
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus University Medical School, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Insights
Birth weight influences systolic blood pressure in children. Both low and high birth weight infants show elevated blood pressure by age four, indicating distinct regulatory patterns.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Cardiovascular Research
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Birth weight is a critical indicator of fetal development.
- Early life factors significantly impact long-term health outcomes.
- Understanding developmental trajectories of blood pressure is crucial for preventative health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between birth weight and systolic blood pressure.
- To track blood pressure changes from infancy to early childhood.
- To identify potential subgroups based on birth weight and blood pressure regulation.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 476 Dutch infants from birth to 4 years.
- Systolic blood pressure and body weight measured at birth, 3 months, and 4 years.
- Multiple regression models used to analyze the relationship, controlling for covariates.
Main Results:
- A U-shaped relationship between birth weight and blood pressure at age 4 was observed.
- Infants with low (<3100g) and high (> or =3700g) birth weights exhibited higher blood pressure.
- Low birth weight infants showed greater increases in blood pressure and weight in early infancy.
Conclusions:
- Subgroups of infants with differing blood pressure regulation based on birth weight exist.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the physiological underpinnings of these differences.
- Future studies on adult disease risk related to birth weight should consider low and high birth weight infants separately.
Objective:
To study the relation between birth weight and systolic blood pressure in infancy and early childhood.
Design:
Longitudinal study of infants from birth to 4 years of age.
Setting:
A middle class community in the Netherlands.
Participants:
476 Dutch infants born in 1980 to healthy women after uncomplicated pregnancies.
Main Outcome Measures:
Systolic blood pressure and body weight measured at birth and at 3 months and 4 years of age; the relation between systolic blood pressure and birth weight as estimated by multiple regression models that include current weight and previous blood pressure and control for gestational age, length at birth, and sex.
Results:
Complete data were available on 392 infants. At 4 years of age the relation between blood pressure and birth weight appeared to be U shaped; low and high birthweight infants had raised blood pressure. Current weight and previous blood pressure were also positively associated with blood pressure at that age. Low birthweight infants (birth weight < 3100 g) had a greater gain in blood pressure and weight in early infancy. High birthweight infants (birth weight > or = 3700 g) had high blood pressure at birth, and weight and blood pressure tended to remain high thereafter.
Conclusions:
Even among normal infants there seem to be subgroups defined by birth weight in which blood pressure is regulated differently. Future investigations are needed to examine the physiological basis of these differences. Studies of correlates of adult disease related to birth weight should investigate mechanisms related to increased risk separately in infants of low and high birth weight.