Intima-Media Thickness and Flow-Mediated Dilatation in the Helsinki Study of Very Low Birth Weight Adults

BACKGROUND: Adults born at a very low birth weight (VLBW) (< 1500 g), compared with those born at term, bear risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including higher blood pressure and insulin resistance. OBJECTIVE: We studied, in young adults born at a VLBW, early signs of an accelerated atherosclerotic process and the relationship of these signs with postnatal growth. METHODS: We compared 92 with a VLBW with 68 who were born at term. At age 18 to 27, we measured stiffness and intima-media thickness (IMT) of the right carotid artery and flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of the right brachial artery. RESULTS: Those with a VLBW had 1.1% units higher FMD (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.0-2.2) (P = .06) and 0.5% units higher IMT relative to lumen size (95% CI: 0.1-0.9). IMT or FMD, when analyzed as the absolute change in millimeters, and carotid stiffness in the groups were similar. Among those with a VLBW, each 100-g-greater weight gain during the first 2 postnatal weeks predicted 1.1% units higher FMD (95% CI: 0.2-2.0) in adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: Although young adults born at VLBWs, compared with those born at term, have higher levels of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, we found no clear evidence for elevated early markers of atherosclerosis. However, in relation to artery lumen diameter, IMT in the participants who had a VLBW was higher than in those who were born at term. In our study, weight gain during the first postnatal weeks had no harmful effect on the arteries in young adulthood.