Placental weight, birth measurements, and blood pressure at age 8 years.
OBJECTIVE
To examine relationships between blood pressure during childhood and both placental weight and body size at birth, in an Australian population.


METHODS
A follow up study of a birth cohort, undertaken when cohort members were aged 8 years.


METHODS
Adelaide, South Australia.


METHODS
830 children born in the Queen Victoria Hospital in Adelaide, South Australia, during 1975-6.


METHODS
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure measured when the children were aged 8 years.


RESULTS
Blood pressure at 8 years was positively related to placental weight and inversely related to birth weight, after adjusting for the child's current weight. For diastolic pressure there was a decrease of 1.0 mm Hg for each 1 kg increase in birth weight (95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.4 to 2.4) and an increase of 0.7 mm Hg for each 100 g increase in placental weight (95% CI = 0.1 to 1.3). Diastolic pressure was also inversely related to chest circumference at birth, independently of placental weight, with a decrease of 0.3 mm Hg for each 1 cm increase in chest circumference (95% CI = 0.2 to 0.5).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings are further evidence that birth characteristics, indicative of fetal growth patterns, are related to blood pressure in later life.
Moore
V M
VM
Department of Community Medicine, University of Adelaide, South Australia.
Miller
A G
AG
Boulton
T J
TJ
Cockington
R A
RA
Craig
I H
IH
Magarey
A M
AM
Robinson
J S
JS
D000886:Anthropometry; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006257:Head / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology; D010920:Placenta / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013909:Thorax / Q000033:anatomy & histology