Effects of current size, postnatal growth, and birth size on blood pressure in early childhood.

Abstract

In a prospective study, we investigated the impact of early growth on blood pressure at 3 years of age. We measured systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) for 590 children 3 years of age and related measurements to current size and size at birth, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years of age. SBP was related positively to weight at 3 and 2 years and, after adjustment for current size, negatively to weight at birth and 6 months but not at 1 or 2 years. No effect was observed for DBP. A family history of hypertension was associated with higher maternal blood pressure, greater weight, and gestational hypertension (P = .05). Mothers with a history of gestational hypertension had higher SBP and DBP values (P < .001). In multivariate linear regression analyses, SBP was influenced positively by weight at 3 years and family history of hypertension and negatively by weight at 6 months. None of the factors was associated with DBP. For 3-year-old children, current weight was a determinant of SBP and postnatal growth to 6 months of age was more predictive than birth weight. A family history of hypertension is important in determining maternal blood pressure. These observations suggest a window in which postnatal growth might be modified.