Whincup P, Cook D, Papacosta O, Walker M
Birth weight and blood pressure: Cross-sectional and
longitudinal relations in childhood
Brit Med J
(Sep) 311:773-776 1995
Norms of arterial pressure increase with age during childhood and vary also
with body mass. Several, but not all cross sectional studies have
previously demonstrated an inverse relationship between birthweight and
later blood pressure. The current investigation of blood pressure in 1511
9-11 year old children in the UK (including 549 studied previously at age
5-7) showed a significant negative correlation between both systolic and
diastolic BP (when adjusted for age, sex, height, and body mass index) and
birthweight (based on maternal recall). Systolic BP rose more rapidly
between ages 5-7 and 9-11 in those subjects with lower birthweight, an
effect which was stronger in girls than boys.
Investigators paid scrupulous attention to proper blood pressure measurement
and quality of data were good. Study conclusions appear limited by relative
lack of many low and very low birthweight children, by lack of other
historical/family data, and by relative ethnic homogeneity of the study
population. Whether these data are predictive of adolescent or adult BP is
uncertain, especially given other published series; and whether they support
the recent notion of birthweight as a surrogate for nephron mass in
dictating longterm blood pressure control remains entirely speculative.
(Umans)
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H: Diagnosis :
Preadolescent and adolescent