title: Enhanced post-natal growth is associated with elevated blood pressure in young Senegalese adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evidence suggests that intrauterine growth restriction followed by rapid post-natal growth is associated with high blood pressure. We assessed the effect of early size and post-natal growth on blood pressure in a population from West Africa, where fetal growth retardation and childhood malnutrition are common.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1288 Senegalese subjects were followed from infancy to young adulthood (mean age 17.9 years). Adult systolic blood pressure (SBP) was regressed on infant and adult anthropometric characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In unadjusted analyses, infant size was positively associated with adult SBP (1.1 +/- 0.3; P = 0.001 for weight; 0.7 +/- 0.3; P = 0.04 for length). With adjustment for current size, the regression coefficients for infant size were reversed (-0.2 +/- 0.3; P = 0.51 for weight; -0.3 +/- 0.3; P = 0.35 for length). SBP increased by 4.1 and 2.9 mmHg for 1 standard deviation (SD) increase in current weight or height, respectively. No interaction between infant size and current size was found in the overall models (P = 0.11 for weight, P = 0.95 for height), but this term interacted with sex for weight effect. A negative interaction was found in males (-0.9 +/- 0.4; P = 0.02) but not in females (0.3 +/- 0.4; P = 0.46). The association of current weight with SBP was stronger in lighter weight male infants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings support the hypothesis that subjects who were small in early life and experienced enhanced post-natal growth have higher levels of SBP, even in low-income settings.
authors: IRD, UR024 Epidémiologie et Prévention, Montpellier, France. amandine.cournil@ird.fr
authors: Amandine
authors: A
authors: Cournil
authors: Aminata Ndiaye
authors: AN
authors: Coly
authors: Aldiouma
authors: A
authors: Diallo
authors: Kirsten Bork
authors: KB
authors: Simondon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000453:epidemiology; D006128:Growth / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D012675:Senegal / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult