Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T09:27:59.286Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Increased systemic blood pressure and arterial stiffness in young adults born prematurely

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 August 2014

L. Tauzin*
Affiliation:
Department of Neonatology, Territorial Hospital Centre, New Caledonia, France
P. Rossi
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, The Université de la Méditerranée Aix-Marseille II, France
C. Grosse
Affiliation:
Department of Neonatology, The Université de la Méditerranée Aix-Marseille II, France
A. Boussuges
Affiliation:
EA 3280, The Université de la Méditerranée Aix-Marseille II, France
Y. Frances
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, The Université de la Méditerranée Aix-Marseille II, France
M. Tsimaratos
Affiliation:
Pediatric Nephrology Unit, The Université de la Méditerranée Aix-Marseille II, France
U. Simeoni
Affiliation:
Department of Neonatology, The Université de la Méditerranée Aix-Marseille II, France
*
*Address for correspondence: L. Tauzin, MD, Centre Hospitalier Territorial de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Hôpital de Magenta, BP J5. 98849, Nouméa Cedex, France. (Email: laurenttauzin@hotmail.fr)

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that a low birth weight is a risk factor for increased systemic blood pressure (BP) in adulthood. Further, systemic BP and arterial stiffness (AS) are reported to be increased in adolescents born prematurely. The purpose of this study was to characterize systemic BP and AS in young adults born preterm. Systemic BP was measured using an automated oscillometric device. AS was assessed by measuring the right carotid–radial pulse wave velocity (PWV) using a validated non-invasive automated method. Systemic BP, pulse pressure, and PWV [mean (confidence intervals)] were compared between 16 adults (age 21 years) born preterm (age at birth 32 weeks of gestation) with a birth weight (1710 g) appropriate for their gestational age and 15 adults (21 years) born at term (40 weeks of gestation) with a birth weight (3430 g) appropriate for their gestational age. Adults born preterm had a significantly higher systolic BP [122 mmHg (114–144) v. 112 (106–127)], mean BP [89 mmHg (86–98) v. 84 (81–91)], diastolic BP [69 mmHg (66–76) v. 65 (62–78)], pulse pressure [54 mmHg (47–72) v. 47 (42–60)], and PWV [7 m/s (6.3–8.6) v. 6.4 (5.8–8)] than did those born at term. Our findings suggest that young adults with a low birth weight due to preterm birth have increased systemic BP and AS. Accordingly, preterm birth may predispose individuals to cardiovascular diseases in adulthood due to increased AS.

Type
Original Article
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press and the International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Goldenberg, RL, Culhane, JF, Iams, JD, and Romero, R. Epidemiology and causes of preterm birth. Lancet. 2008; 371, 7584.Google Scholar
2. Johansson, S, Iliadou, A, Bergvall, N, et al. Risk of high blood pressure among young men increases with the degree of immaturity at birth. Circulation. 2005; 112, 34303436.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3. Lawlor, DA, Hübinette, A, Tynelius, P, et al. Associations of gestational age and intrauterine growth with systolic blood pressure in a family-based study of 3,86,485 men in 3,31,089 families. Circulation. 2007; 115, 562568.Google Scholar
4. Crump, C, Winkleby, MA, Sundquist, K, and Sundquist, J. Risk of hypertension among young adults who were born preterm: a Swedish national study of 636,000 births. Am J Epidemiol. 2011; 173, 797803.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5. Crump, C, Sundquist, K, Sundquist, J, and Winkleby, MA. Gestational age at birth and mortality in young adulthood. J Am Med Assoc. 2011; 306, 12331240.Google ScholarPubMed
6. Oren, A, Vos, LE, Bos, WJ, et al. Gestational age and birth weight in relation to aortic stiffness in healthy young adults: two separate mechanisms? Am J Hypertens. 2003; 16, 7679.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7. Tauzin, L, Rossi, P, Guisiano, B, et al. Characteristics of arterial stiffness in very low birth weight premature infants. Pediatr Res. 2006; 60, 592596.Google Scholar
8. Rossi, P, Tauzin, L, Marchand, E, et al. Respective roles of preterm birth and fetal growth restriction in blood pressure and arterial stiffness in adolescence. J Adolesc Health. 2011; 48, 520522.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9. Martyn, CN, and Greenwald, SE. Impaired synthesis of elastin in walls of aorta and large conduit arteries during early development as an initiating event in pathogenesis of systemic hypertension. Lancet. 1997; 350, 953955.Google Scholar
10. Berry, CL, Looker, T, and Germain, J. Nucleic acid and scleroprotein content of the developing human aorta. J Pathol. 1972; 108, 265274.Google Scholar
11. Asmar, R, Benetos, A, Topouchian, J, et al. Assessment of arterial distensibility by automatic pulse wave velocity measurement: validation and clinical application studies. Hypertension. 1995; 26, 485490.Google Scholar
12. Hack, M, Schluchter, M, Cartar, L, et al. Growth of very low birth weight infants to age 20 years. Pediatrics. 2003; 112, 3038.Google Scholar
13. Ericson, A, and Källén, B. Very low birthweight boys at the age of 19. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 1998; 78, 171174.Google Scholar
14. André, JL, Deschamps, JP, and Gueguen, R. Arterial blood pressure in 17,067 children and adolescents. Variation with age and height. Arch Fr Pediatr. 1980; 37, 477482.Google Scholar
15. Moore, VM, Cockington, RA, Ryan, P, and Robinson, JS. The relationship between birth weight and blood pressure amplifies from childhood to adulthood. J Hypertens. 1999; 17, 883888.Google Scholar
16. Law, CM, Shiell, AW, Newsome, CA, Martyn, CN, and de Swiet, M. Fetal, infant, and childhood growth and adult blood pressure: a longitudinal study from birth to 22 years of age. Circulation. 2002; 105, 10881092.Google Scholar
17. Hellström, A, Hård, AL, Niklasson, A, Svensson, E, and Jacobsson, B. Abnormal retinal vascularisation in preterm children as a general vascular phenomenon. Lancet. 1998; 352, 1827.Google Scholar
18. Bassareo, PP, Fanos, V, Puddu, M, et al. Reduced brachial flow-mediated vasodilation in young adult ex extremely low birth weight preterm: a condition predictive of increased cardiovascular risk? J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2010; 23(Suppl. 3), 121124.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19. Rodriguez, MM, Gómez, AH, Abitbol, CL, et al. Histomorphometric analysis of postnatal glomerulogenesis in extremely preterm infants. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2004; 7, 1725.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20. Bonamy, AK, Bendito, A, Martin, H, et al. Preterm birth contributes to increased vascular resistance and higher blood pressure in adolescent girls. Pediatr Res. 2005; 58, 845849.Google Scholar
21. de Simone, G, Roman, MJ, Koren, MJ, et al. Stroke volume/pulse pressure ratio and cardiovascular risk in arterial hypertension. Hypertension. 1999; 33, 800805.Google Scholar
22. Meaume, S, Benetos, A, Henry, OF, Rudnichi, A, and Safar, ME. Aortic pulse wave velocity predicts cardiovascular mortality >70 years of age. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2001; 21, 20462050.Google Scholar
23. Laurent, S, Katsahian, S, Fassot, C, et al. Aortic stiffness is an independent predictor of fatal stroke in essential hypertension. Stroke. 2003; 34, 12031206.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed