title: Childhood growth and adult hypertension in a population of high birth weight.
abstract: Low birth weight has consistently been associated with increased adult blood pressure. The relative importance of childhood growth is, however, less well established. This study examined sex-specific associations between childhood growth and adult blood pressure in 2120 subjects born from 1921 to 1935 in Reykjavik who were recruited into a longitudinal study in 1967-1991. Size at birth and growth at regular intervals between 8 and 13 years were collected from national archives. Hypertensive males did not differ from normotensive males at birth but were increasingly taller and of higher body mass index between 8 and 13 years. No differences in adult height were observed between hypertensive and normotensive males. For boys, growth-velocity (change in growth per year) for body mass index and height between 8 to 13 years was positively associated (P<0.05) with adult blood pressure. The association for body mass index-velocity was fully accounted for by concurrent body size, whereas height-velocity was independent of birth weight and concurrent body size. Males in the highest compared with the lowest tertile in the height-velocity distribution had 66% increased risks of hypertension (95% CI: 15% to 139% increased risks of hypertension) corresponding with 5.0 mm Hg increase (95% CI: 1.5 to 8.5 mm Hg increase) and 3.1 mm Hg increase (95% CI: 1.1 to 5.0 mm Hg increase) in systolic and diastolic blood pressures, respectively. Hypertensive females weighed less at birth but did not differ markedly from normotensive girls between 8 and 13 years, and no association was observed for growth-velocity. In conclusion, rapid linear growth between 8 and 13 years predicts elevated adult blood pressure in boys. This association is likely to reflect relatively early onset of puberty among hypertensive males.
authors.affiliation: Unit for Nutrition Research, University of Iceland and Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland. tih@hi.is
authors.forename: Thorhallur Ingi
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Halldorsson
authors.forename: Ingibjorg
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gunnarsdottir
authors.forename: Bryndis Eva
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Birgisdottir
authors.forename: Vilmundur
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gudnason
authors.forename: Thor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aspelund
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Thorsdottir
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001724:Birth Weight; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007055:Iceland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult