Relation between birth weight and blood pressure: longitudinal study of infants and children

Launer LJ, Hofman A, Grobbee DE

1993

Holland

A longitudinal study of 476 infants born in 1980 to healthy women after uncomplicated pregnancies. Systolic blood pressure and body weight were measured at birth, at three months and at four years of age. At four years of age the relation between blood pressure and birth weight appeared to be 'U' shaped; low and high birth weight infants had raised blood pressure.

As in many studies relating an adult disease to birth weight, birth order has not been taken into consideration. Yet birth order is the best known single factor influencing birth weight. For example according to a British calculation the average difference in birth weight between first born and second born children is 138 grams. (see Odent M., Tsujino J., Studies exploring health in relation to intrauterine life should look at birth order, BMJ 1997; 314:1416)