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Body size at birth and cardiovascular response to and recovery from mental stress in children

Body size at birth and cardiovascular response to and recovery from mental stress in children
Body size at birth and cardiovascular response to and recovery from mental stress in children
Cardiovascular (CV) response to mental stress, a predictor of CV disease risk, may be determined already in utero. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, and previous studies have used adult subjects and neglected CV recovery. We investigated 147 girls and 136 boys aged 8 years who underwent the Trier Social Stress Test for children to determine whether body size at birth is associated with CV activity. Blood pressure (BP), electrocardiogram and impedance-derived indices were recorded and analyzed from continuous measurements using Vasotrac APM205A and Biopac MP150 systems.

Among girls, lower birth weight was associated with lower baseline systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) values (1.9?mm?Hg and 1.5?mm?Hg per 1 s.d. birth weight for gestational age, respectively), higher SBP and DBP response to mental stress (1.6?mm?Hg and 1.1?mm?Hg per 1 s.d. birth weight for gestational age, respectively), slower BP recovery and overall higher cardiac sympathetic activity. In contrast, among boys lower birth weight was associated with higher baseline levels of SBP (2.1?mm?Hg per 1 s.d. birth weight for gestational age) and total peripheral resistance (TPR), overall lower cardiac sympathetic activity, lower TPR response to mental stress and a more rapid BP and cardiac sympathetic recovery. In boys, the associations with baseline levels and cardiac sympathetic activity became significant only after adjusting for current body size. These sex-specific results suggest that individual differences in childhood CV response to and recovery from mental stress may have prenatal origins. This phenomenon may be important in linking smaller body size at birth to adult CV disease.

0950-9240
231-240
Feldt, K.
56b15e88-1347-484b-a7fc-92628171d2f5
Raikkonen, K.
926aba17-06cd-417b-b20f-ae400a2596a6
Pyhala, R.
bf0a4c29-979b-4e71-9505-832a03f27a04
Jones, A.
bcae84a4-4191-4a3e-b695-1b6e2b0681c7
Phillips, D.I.
29b73be7-2ff9-4fff-ae42-d59842df4cc6
Eriksson, J.G.
eda300d2-b247-479f-95b9-f12d2c72e92b
Pesonen, A.K.
edd22dbe-e07d-4212-a476-aaff63f619f5
Heinonen, K.
667793ce-59c1-43d0-9f53-4f7790a9ed94
Jarvenpaa, A.L.
4ef4486c-b424-4020-8922-671c8b3733a2
Strandberg, T.E.
4639cfc3-6a95-4e3e-90e7-f4b7b514ce96
Kajantie, E.
d4e32f85-9988-4b83-b353-012210ea0151
Feldt, K.
56b15e88-1347-484b-a7fc-92628171d2f5
Raikkonen, K.
926aba17-06cd-417b-b20f-ae400a2596a6
Pyhala, R.
bf0a4c29-979b-4e71-9505-832a03f27a04
Jones, A.
bcae84a4-4191-4a3e-b695-1b6e2b0681c7
Phillips, D.I.
29b73be7-2ff9-4fff-ae42-d59842df4cc6
Eriksson, J.G.
eda300d2-b247-479f-95b9-f12d2c72e92b
Pesonen, A.K.
edd22dbe-e07d-4212-a476-aaff63f619f5
Heinonen, K.
667793ce-59c1-43d0-9f53-4f7790a9ed94
Jarvenpaa, A.L.
4ef4486c-b424-4020-8922-671c8b3733a2
Strandberg, T.E.
4639cfc3-6a95-4e3e-90e7-f4b7b514ce96
Kajantie, E.
d4e32f85-9988-4b83-b353-012210ea0151

Feldt, K., Raikkonen, K., Pyhala, R., Jones, A., Phillips, D.I., Eriksson, J.G., Pesonen, A.K., Heinonen, K., Jarvenpaa, A.L., Strandberg, T.E. and Kajantie, E. (2011) Body size at birth and cardiovascular response to and recovery from mental stress in children. Journal of Human Hypertension, 25 (4), 231-240. (doi:10.1038/jhh.2010.55). (PMID:20535142)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Cardiovascular (CV) response to mental stress, a predictor of CV disease risk, may be determined already in utero. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, and previous studies have used adult subjects and neglected CV recovery. We investigated 147 girls and 136 boys aged 8 years who underwent the Trier Social Stress Test for children to determine whether body size at birth is associated with CV activity. Blood pressure (BP), electrocardiogram and impedance-derived indices were recorded and analyzed from continuous measurements using Vasotrac APM205A and Biopac MP150 systems.

Among girls, lower birth weight was associated with lower baseline systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) values (1.9?mm?Hg and 1.5?mm?Hg per 1 s.d. birth weight for gestational age, respectively), higher SBP and DBP response to mental stress (1.6?mm?Hg and 1.1?mm?Hg per 1 s.d. birth weight for gestational age, respectively), slower BP recovery and overall higher cardiac sympathetic activity. In contrast, among boys lower birth weight was associated with higher baseline levels of SBP (2.1?mm?Hg per 1 s.d. birth weight for gestational age) and total peripheral resistance (TPR), overall lower cardiac sympathetic activity, lower TPR response to mental stress and a more rapid BP and cardiac sympathetic recovery. In boys, the associations with baseline levels and cardiac sympathetic activity became significant only after adjusting for current body size. These sex-specific results suggest that individual differences in childhood CV response to and recovery from mental stress may have prenatal origins. This phenomenon may be important in linking smaller body size at birth to adult CV disease.

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Published date: April 2011

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Local EPrints ID: 178053
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/178053
ISSN: 0950-9240
PURE UUID: e948322f-c1dc-4219-9866-0a807dc775bf

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Date deposited: 22 Mar 2011 15:48
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:45

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Contributors

Author: K. Feldt
Author: K. Raikkonen
Author: R. Pyhala
Author: A. Jones
Author: D.I. Phillips
Author: J.G. Eriksson
Author: A.K. Pesonen
Author: K. Heinonen
Author: A.L. Jarvenpaa
Author: T.E. Strandberg
Author: E. Kajantie

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