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Birth weight, childhood body mass index and risk of coronary heart disease in adults: combined historical cohort studies

Birth weight, childhood body mass index and risk of coronary heart disease in adults: combined historical cohort studies
Birth weight, childhood body mass index and risk of coronary heart disease in adults: combined historical cohort studies
Background: Low birth weight and high childhood body mass index (BMI) is each associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in adult life. We studied individual and combined associations of birth weight and childhood BMI with the risk of CHD in adulthood.

Methods/Principal Findings: Birth weight and BMI at age seven years were available in 216,771 Danish and Finnish individuals born 1924–1976. Linkage to national registers for hospitalization and causes of death identified 8,805 CHD events during up to 33 years of follow-up (median = 24 years) after age 25 years. Analyses were conducted with Cox regression based on restricted cubic splines. Using median birth weight of 3.4 kg as reference, a non-linear relation between birth weight and CHD was found. It was not significantly different between cohorts, or between men and women, nor was the association altered by childhood BMI. For birth weights below 3.4 kg, the risk of CHD increased linearly and reached 1.28 (95% confidence limits: 1.13 to 1.44) at 2 kg. Above 3.4 kg the association weakened, and from about 4 kg there was virtually no association. BMI at age seven years was strongly positively associated with the risk of CHD and the relation was not altered by birth weight. The excess risk in individuals with a birth weight of 2.5 kg and a BMI of 17.7 kg/m2 at age seven years was 44% (95% CI: 30% to 59%) compared with individuals with median values of birth weight (3.4 kg) and BMI (15.3 kg/m2).

Conclusions/Significance: Birth weight and BMI at age seven years appeared independently associated with the risk of CHD in adulthood. From a public health perspective we suggest that particular attention should be paid to children with a birth weight below the average in combination with excess relative weight in childhood.
1932-6203
e14126
Andersen, L.G.
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Angquist, L.
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Eriksson, J.G.
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Forsen, T.
009ce53c-8bbf-4c5c-a21f-0bbdd1f999c4
Gamborg, M.
14c27613-cb10-410e-a63d-0d8614eb43f2
Osmond, Clive
2677bf85-494f-4a78-adf8-580e1b8acb81
Baker, J.L.
a364a8f3-f9ae-4a9b-8156-5d0a0e1919b7
Sorensen, T.I.
920a9ad1-1fce-429c-8ae4-76abeabdb8dd
Andersen, L.G.
97cc81ee-c2f9-4fac-896b-5b32f4f5b8c4
Angquist, L.
24f0c60e-1ba7-43c6-a685-f5669391155e
Eriksson, J.G.
eda300d2-b247-479f-95b9-f12d2c72e92b
Forsen, T.
009ce53c-8bbf-4c5c-a21f-0bbdd1f999c4
Gamborg, M.
14c27613-cb10-410e-a63d-0d8614eb43f2
Osmond, Clive
2677bf85-494f-4a78-adf8-580e1b8acb81
Baker, J.L.
a364a8f3-f9ae-4a9b-8156-5d0a0e1919b7
Sorensen, T.I.
920a9ad1-1fce-429c-8ae4-76abeabdb8dd

Andersen, L.G., Angquist, L., Eriksson, J.G., Forsen, T., Gamborg, M., Osmond, Clive, Baker, J.L. and Sorensen, T.I. (2010) Birth weight, childhood body mass index and risk of coronary heart disease in adults: combined historical cohort studies. PLoS ONE, 5 (11), e14126. (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0014126). (PMID:21124730)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: Low birth weight and high childhood body mass index (BMI) is each associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in adult life. We studied individual and combined associations of birth weight and childhood BMI with the risk of CHD in adulthood.

Methods/Principal Findings: Birth weight and BMI at age seven years were available in 216,771 Danish and Finnish individuals born 1924–1976. Linkage to national registers for hospitalization and causes of death identified 8,805 CHD events during up to 33 years of follow-up (median = 24 years) after age 25 years. Analyses were conducted with Cox regression based on restricted cubic splines. Using median birth weight of 3.4 kg as reference, a non-linear relation between birth weight and CHD was found. It was not significantly different between cohorts, or between men and women, nor was the association altered by childhood BMI. For birth weights below 3.4 kg, the risk of CHD increased linearly and reached 1.28 (95% confidence limits: 1.13 to 1.44) at 2 kg. Above 3.4 kg the association weakened, and from about 4 kg there was virtually no association. BMI at age seven years was strongly positively associated with the risk of CHD and the relation was not altered by birth weight. The excess risk in individuals with a birth weight of 2.5 kg and a BMI of 17.7 kg/m2 at age seven years was 44% (95% CI: 30% to 59%) compared with individuals with median values of birth weight (3.4 kg) and BMI (15.3 kg/m2).

Conclusions/Significance: Birth weight and BMI at age seven years appeared independently associated with the risk of CHD in adulthood. From a public health perspective we suggest that particular attention should be paid to children with a birth weight below the average in combination with excess relative weight in childhood.

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Published date: 2010

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 170317
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/170317
ISSN: 1932-6203
PURE UUID: d61367fa-c63e-4fec-9f13-d9115791f877
ORCID for Clive Osmond: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9054-4655

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Date deposited: 05 Jan 2011 12:34
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:38

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Contributors

Author: L.G. Andersen
Author: L. Angquist
Author: J.G. Eriksson
Author: T. Forsen
Author: M. Gamborg
Author: Clive Osmond ORCID iD
Author: J.L. Baker
Author: T.I. Sorensen

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