Birth weight and cardiovascular risk factors in a cohort followed until 80 years of age: the study of men born in 1913

Abstract

Objectives: To analyse whether there is a relation-ship between birth weight and cardiovascular risk factors given the influence of potential modifying factors from birth time, former generations and adult life.

Design: Population-based cohort followed until 80 years of age.

Setting: Sweden.

Subjects: A total of 478 singleton men born in 1913 and participating in a population study in Gothenburg, Sweden, from age 50.

Main outcome measures: Systolic blood pressure (SBP), antihypertensive treatment, incident diabetes mellitus, and serum total cholesterol, serum triglycerides and waist circumference as both continuous variables and in the highest quintiles of their distributions.

Results: After adjustment for the influence of birth time variables, hereditary factors and anthropometric and socio-economic adult life variables, SBP decreased by 3.7 mmHg per 1000 g increase of birth weight, the prevalence of antihypertensive treatment decreased by 32%, diabetes decreased by 53%, serum total cholesterol decreased by 0.20 mmol L(-1) and being in the top quintile of serum cholesterol decreased by 23%. The population risk percentage due to a birth weight < or =3000 g was for all three outcomes 3.8% and for antihypertensive treatment, diabetes and cholesterol 0.2, 18 and 2.5%, respectively.

Conclusions: Low birth weight thus seems to affect the development of increasing SBP, antihypertensive treatment, diabetes and high cholesterol even when potential effect modifiers from birth time, former generations and adult life were taken into account. In the general population, the risk percentage due to a birth weight < or =3000 g was largest for diabetes.