Birth weight versus childhood growth as determinants of adult blood pressure.
In older white American adults, recent retrospective studies have demonstrated a relationship between lower birth weight and hypertension. Black Americans have a higher occurrence of both lower birth weight and hypertension than do white Americans. To test the low birth weight-high blood pressure hypothesis, data from a prospective study (Perinatal Collaborative Project) were examined. The study followed a sample of 137 black Americans, with nine examinations. Data on birth weight, growth, and blood pressure from birth through 28.0+/-2.7 years were obtained longitudinally. Bivariate correlations among parameters were computed with the Pearson r. Birth weight and blood pressure at age 28 years are not correlated (Pearson r=.06). However, systolic blood pressures measured at 0.3 years and thereafter are correlated with adult systolic blood pressure. Also, weight at 0.3 years and body mass index at 7 years and thereafter are correlated with adult weight. Our data did not confirm the birth weight-blood pressure hypothesis. Rather, we detected significant correlations between preadult measurements of blood pressure and weight with adult measurements. These results indicate that in black Americans, childhood growth is a stronger determinant than intrauterine growth of adult blood pressure.
Falkner
B
B
Allegheny University of the Health Sciences, Philadelphia, Pa 19129, USA.
Hulman
S
S
Kushner
H
H
D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D044383:Black People; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D001741:Black or African American