title: Exposure to famine during gestation, size at birth, and blood pressure at age 59 y: evidence from the Dutch Famine.
abstract: We compared blood pressure of individuals (mean age 59 y) born in western Holland between January 1945 and March 1946 (mothers exposed to the Dutch Famine before or during gestation; n = 359) to blood pressure of unexposed individuals born before or conceived after the famine (n = 299) or same-sex siblings of subjects in series 1 or 2 (n = 313). Mean (SD) systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 140.3 (20.3) and 85.8 (11.0) mmHg, respectively; prevalence of hypertension (prior diagnosis of hypertension or with measured systolic/diastolic blood pressure above 140/90 mmHg) was 61.8%. Birth weight was inversely related to systolic (-4.14 mmHg per kg; 95% confidence interval (CI) -7.24, -1.03; p < 0.01) and diastolic (-2.09 mmHg per kg; 95% CI -3.77, -0.41; p < 0.05) blood pressure and to the prevalence of hypertension (odds ratio 0.67 per kg, 95% CI: 0.49, 0.93) (all age- and sex-adjusted). Any famine exposure of at least 10 weeks duration was associated with elevated systolic (2.77 mmHg; 95% CI 0.25, 5.30; p < 0.05) and diastolic (1.27 mmHg; 95% CI -0.13, 2.66; p = 0.08) blood pressure and with hypertension prevalence (odds ratio 1.44; 95% CI 1.04, 2.00; p < 0.05) in age- and sex-adjusted models. Exposure to famine during gestation may predispose to the development of hypertension in middle age.
authors.affiliation: Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Aryeh D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Zybert
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: van der Pal-de Bruin
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Lumey
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D048070:Fetal Nutrition Disorders; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D013217:Starvation / Q000150:complications*