Published online January 17, 2006
PEDIATRICS Vol. 117 No. 2 February 2006, pp. e257-e261 (doi:10.1542/10.1542/peds.2005-1325)
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Jiang, B.
Right arrow Articles by Gale, C. R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Jiang, B.
Right arrow Articles by Gale, C. R.
Related Collections
Right arrow Premature & Newborn
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Facebook   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Birth Weight and Cardiac Structure in Children

Benyu Jiang, PhD, Keith M. Godfrey, PhD, Christopher N. Martyn, DPhil and Catharine R. Gale, PhD

MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom

OBJECTIVE. Epidemiologic studies have shown associations between impaired fetal growth and risk for coronary heart disease in adults. The underlying mechanisms are unknown. We investigated whether restricted intrauterine growth affects cardiac structure.

METHODS. We performed echocardiography on 216 9-year-old children who were measured previously at birth. The diameter of the coronary left and right main branches was derived from the widest dimension; total coronary artery diameter was calculated by adding the diameters of the left and right coronary arteries. Aortic root diameter, left atrial diameter, left ventricular diameter, left ventricular outflow tract diameter, and left ventricular mass were measured.

RESULTS. On average, children who had weighed less at birth had a smaller total coronary artery diameter, aortic root diameter, and left ventricular outflow tract diameter after adjustment for gender, gestational age, current height and weight, and maternal height and prepregnant weight. For each SD increase in birth weight, total coronary diameter rose by 0.10 mm, log aortic root diameter rose by 1.5%, and log left ventricular outflow tract diameter rose by 1.6%.

CONCLUSION. Impaired fetal growth may have long-term effects on cardiac structure. This may help to explain why adults whose birth weight was low are at greater risk for coronary heart disease.

Key Words: cohort studies • echocardiography • epidemiology • fetal growth

Abbreviations: CI—confidence interval

Accepted Aug 2, 2005.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Facebook Facebook   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 CirculationHome page
P. Mitchell, G. Liew, E. Rochtchina, J. J. Wang, D. Robaei, N. Cheung, and T. Y. Wong
Evidence of Arteriolar Narrowing in Low-Birth-Weight Children
Circulation, July 29, 2008; 118(5): 518 - 524.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 HypertensionHome page
G. Liew, J. J. Wang, B. B. Duncan, R. Klein, A. R. Sharrett, F. Brancati, H.-C. Yeh, P. Mitchell, T. Y. Wong, and for the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study
Low Birthweight Is Associated With Narrower Arterioles in Adults
Hypertension, April 1, 2008; 51(4): 933 - 938.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol.Home page
J. L. Morrison, K. J. Botting, J. L. Dyer, S. J. Williams, K. L. Thornburg, and I. C. McMillen
Restriction of placental function alters heart development in the sheep fetus
Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, July 1, 2007; 293(1): R306 - R313.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]