title: Cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents born preterm.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Adolescents and adults born as small preterm infants show more pronounced risk factors of cardiovascular disease. Whether similar risks apply across all degrees of preterm birth is poorly known.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied the association between preterm birth and cardiovascular risk factors in 6642 16-year-old adolescents of the population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. Of these, 79 (1.2%) were born at <34 gestational weeks (early preterm), 238 (3.6%) at 34 to 36 weeks (late preterm), and 6325 at term (controls).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Girls born early preterm had 6.7 mm Hg (95% confidence interval: 3.1-10.2) higher systolic blood pressure (BP) and 3.5 mm Hg (1.1-5.8) higher diastolic BP, but no difference in serum lipid levels compared with control girls. Boys showed no differences in BP, but boys born early preterm had 6.7% (0.2%-13.7%) higher total cholesterol, 11.7% (2.1%-22.3%) higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and 12.3% (3.1%-22.4%) higher apolipoprotein B concentrations. The differences were similar (BP) or stronger (lipids) when adjusted for maternal smoking, birth weight SD score, parental education, pubertal stage, BMI, and lifestyle. There were similar associations with length of gestation as a continuous variable. Accordingly, mean differences between late preterm and controls were in the same direction but weaker, although most were not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preterm birth was associated with elevated BP in adolescent girls and an atherogenic lipid profile in boys. Because these associations were strongest among those born early preterm, our findings are consistent with a dose-response relationship between shorter length of gestation and cardiovascular risk factors.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Chronic Disease Prevention, Diabetes Prevention Unit and Institute of Health Sciences, and Department of Pediatrics and Adolescence, marika.sipola-leppanen@thl.fi.
authors.forename: Marika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sipola-Leppänen
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland; Children, Young People and Families, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Oulu, Finland;
authors.forename: Marja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vääräsmäki
authors.affiliation: Departments of Chronic Disease Prevention, Diabetes Prevention Unit and Institute of Health Sciences, and.
authors.forename: Marjaana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tikanmäki
authors.affiliation: Departments of Chronic Disease Prevention, Diabetes Prevention Unit and Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; and.
authors.forename: Petteri
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hovi
authors.affiliation: Departments of Chronic Disease Prevention, Diabetes Prevention Unit and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland;
authors.forename: Satu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miettola
authors.affiliation: NordLab Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland; Department of Clinical Chemistry.
authors.forename: Aimo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruokonen
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland; Children, Young People and Families, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Oulu, Finland;
authors.forename: Anneli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pouta
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Sciences, and Children, Young People and Families, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Oulu, Finland; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC Health Protection Agency (HPA) Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland; Unit of Primary Care, and.
authors.forename: Marjo-Riitta
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Järvelin
authors.affiliation: Departments of Chronic Disease Prevention, Diabetes Prevention Unit and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland; Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; and.
authors.forename: Eero
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kajantie
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000097:blood*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose
keywords: blood pressure; dyslipidemias; glucose metabolism; hypertension; premature birth