title: Early life growth and hemostatic factors: the Barry Caerphilly Growth study.
abstract: Associations between early life growth trajectories and a range of adult (aged approximately 25 years) hemostatic factors were assessed in the Barry Caerphilly Growth study (N = 517) in South Wales, 1974-1999. Associations of birth weight, birth length, and weight and height velocities during three periods ("immediate": 0-<5 months, "infant": 5 months-<1 year 9 months, and "childhood": 1 year 9 months-5 years) with adult levels of hemostatic factors were assessed. Birth weight was inversely associated with fibrinogen (beta per 1-unit change in z score = -0.08, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.15, -0.02). Immediate weight velocity was inversely associated with factor VII (beta = -1.88, 95% CI: -3.84, 0.09), factor VIII (beta = -2.58, 95% CI: -4.07, -0.45), and von Willebrand factor antigen (beta = -4.07, 95% CI: -7.25, -0.89). Birth length was inversely associated with fibrinogen (beta = -0.07, 95% CI: -0.14, -0.01). Evidence was weaker for an inverse association of immediate height velocity with factor VIII (beta = -2.16, 95% CI: -4.62, 0.29) and von Willebrand factor antigen (beta = -2.85, 95% CI: -6.52, 0.81). Childhood height velocity was positively associated with D-dimer (ratio of geometric means = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.23). Results support the view that the immediate postnatal period may be particularly important, possibly through impaired liver development and/or infection in early life, in determining cardiovascular disease risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom. Abigail.fraser@bristol.ac.uk
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tilling
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rumley
authors.forename: G D O
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.forename: G Davey
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ben-Shlomo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000941:Antigens / Q000097:blood; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors / Q000032:analysis*; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005167:Factor VII / Q000032:analysis; D005169:Factor VIII / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000032:analysis; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006128:Growth / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000097:blood; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors; C029417:Von Willebrand antigen; D014841:von Willebrand Factor; D005167:Factor VII; D005169:Factor VIII; D005340:Fibrinogen; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator