Gross placental measures and childhood growth.
OBJECTIVE
We hypothesised that the gross placental measures would be positively associated with childhood growth.


METHODS
We analysed data on 23,967 mother-infant pairs enrolled in the Collaborative Perinatal Project. In race-stratified regression models, the main outcomes were birthweight and z-score body-mass index (BMI) at ages 4 and 7.


RESULTS
Some placental measures were significantly associated with z-score BMI at age 7: in Blacks, placental weight (beta = 0.0004/g; 95%CI: 0.0001, 0.0008), chorionic plate area (beta = 0.0007; 95%CI: 0.0001, 0.0012) and largest diameter (beta = 0.013; 95%CI: 0.004, 0.026); and in Whites placental weight (beta = 0.0004/g; 95%CI: 0.0001, 0.0003) and largest diameter (Model 3: beta = 0.020; 95%CI: 0.007, 0.032). Tested as group, placental measures significantly predicted z-score BMI at age 7 (all p values < 0.005).


CONCLUSIONS
Placental structure independently predicts birthweight and childhood growth. Strategies to improve placental structure might favourably influence birthweight and childhood development.
Baptiste-Roberts
Kesha
K
Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. kbrobert@jhsph.edu
Salafia
Carolyn M
CM
Nicholson
Wanda K
WK
Duggan
Anne
A
Wang
Nae-Yuh
NY
Brancati
Frederick L
FL
D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D033261:Maternal-Fetal Relations / Q000208:ethnology; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology; D010929:Placentation; D011247:Pregnancy; D012923:Social Class; D055815:Young Adult