Greater linear growth from birth to 2 years (OR 1.19; 95% CI 1.01-1.41) and consistently elevated childhood blood pressure trajectories were associated with elevated blood pressure at age 23.
Cohort (n=1,540)
No
Are early life factors and childhood blood pressure trajectories associated with elevated blood pressure in young adults?
Elevated blood pressure in early adulthood is strongly predicted by childhood and adolescent blood pressure trajectories, suggesting that hypertension risk is established early in life.
Odds Ratio: 1.19 (95% CI 1.01–1.41)
Multiple perinatal and early life risk factors have been implicated in the development of hypertension. The BT20 (Birth to Twenty Plus) cohort in urban Soweto, South Africa, previously showed a prevalence of elevated blood pressure (EBP) that ranged from 22.4% at 5 years of age to 34.9% at 18 years of age. We sought to determine the prevalence of EBP at 23 years of age within this cohort and whether this could be linked to any maternal and early life factors and childhood and adolescent blood pressure trajectories. Blood pressure and anthropometric measurements were completed on cohort participants aged 23 years (n=1540; 49% men). Early life and maternal factors were obtained from previous data. Thirty-six percent of participants had EBP of whom 63% were men ( P<0.001). The only association with maternal or early life factors was greater linear growth from birth to 2 years of age, which conferred a 19% increased risk (odds ratio, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.01-1.41). Women had a 77% lower risk of EBP (odds ratio, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.16-0.34) per SD. Participants within the highest systolic and diastolic blood pressure trajectories (where blood pressure was elevated early and remained elevated) were at significantly increased risk of EBP in early adulthood. For those in the highest systolic trajectory, this resulted in a 4-fold increased risk and for those in the highest diastolic trajectory, a 5-fold increased risk. These findings suggest that risk for EBP in adulthood may be set in childhood and adolescence.
Naidoo et al. (Wed,) conducted a cohort in Elevated blood pressure (n=1,540). Greater linear growth from birth to 2 years and high childhood blood pressure trajectories vs. Lower linear growth and lower blood pressure trajectories was evaluated on Elevated blood pressure at 23 years of age (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.01-1.41). Greater linear growth from birth to 2 years (OR 1.19; 95% CI 1.01-1.41) and consistently elevated childhood blood pressure trajectories were associated with elevated blood pressure at age 23.