title: Elevated Blood Pressure with Reduced Left Ventricular and Aortic Dimensions in Adolescents Born Extremely Preterm.
abstract: To evaluate the long-term cardiovascular effects of extremely preterm birth in a cohort of adolescents followed prospectively, who were largely free from intrauterine growth restriction.
  
  
  
  Central blood pressures, aortic and cardiac dimensions, left ventricle (LV) function, pulse wave velocity, augmentation index, and microvascular reactive hyperemia were measured in 18-year-old subjects born extremely preterm at <28 weeks' gestation (n = 109) and term-born controls (n = 81).
  
  
  
  Compared with controls, preterm adolescents had higher systolic (124 ± 13 vs 118 ± 10 mm Hg, P = .002) and diastolic (72 ± 8 vs 67 ± 7 mm Hg, P < .001) blood pressures, but lower ascending aortic z-scores (0.13 ± 0.89 vs 0.42 ± 0.78, P = .02), LV diastolic (48.5 ± 4 vs 50.3 ± 4.5 mm, P = .007) and systolic (30.2 ± 3.5 vs 31.9 ± 4.0 mm, P = .003) diameters, and a reduced LV mass (130 ± 34 vs 145 ± 41 g, P = .01) and mass index (75 ± 14 vs 81 ± 16 g/m(2), P = .02). However, LV relative wall thickness, LV function, pulse wave velocity, augmentation index, and microvascular reactive hyperemia were similar. Within the ex-preterm group, there were no significant relationships between birthweight z-scores and any cardiovascular measures, once the latter were adjusted for current body size.
  
  
  
  Extremely preterm birth had relatively minor cardiovascular effects in late-adolescence, with increased blood pressures, decreased LV, and aortic size, but preserved LV function, macrovascular properties, and microvascular function. In utero growth was not independently related to cardiovascular function within the ex-preterm cohort.
authors.affiliation: Heart Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Cardiology, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: remi.kowalski@rch.org.au.
authors.forename: Remi R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Kowalski
authors.affiliation: Developmental Imaging, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Beare
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Research Office, Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Lex W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.affiliation: Heart Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Joseph J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Smolich
authors.affiliation: Heart Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Cardiology, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael M H
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Cheung
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001011:Aorta / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D062071:Infant, Extremely Premature; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology