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(Hypertension. 1998;31:145.)
© 1998 American Heart Association, Inc.

Scientific Contributions

Birth Weight Versus Childhood Growth as Determinants of Adult Blood Pressure

Bonita Falkner; Sonia Hulman; Harvey Kushner

From Allegheny University of the Health Sciences, Philadelphia, Pa (B.F.); Albert Einstein Medical Center, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pa (S.H.); and Biomedical Computer Research Institute, Philadelphia, Pa (H.K.).

Correspondence to Bonita Falkner, MD, Institute for Women’s Health, Allegheny University Hospitals, 3300 Henry Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19129.

Abstract—In older white American adults, recent retrospective studies have demonstrated a relationship between lower birth weight and hypertension. Black Americans have a higher occurrence of both lower birth weight and hypertension than do white Americans. To test the low birth weight–high blood pressure hypothesis, data from a prospective study (Perinatal Collaborative Project) were examined. The study followed a sample of 137 black Americans, with nine examinations. Data on birth weight, growth, and blood pressure from birth through 28.0±2.7 years were obtained longitudinally. Bivariate correlations among parameters were computed with the Pearson r. Birth weight and blood pressure at age 28 years are not correlated (Pearson r=.06). However, systolic blood pressures measured at 0.3 years and thereafter are correlated with adult systolic blood pressure. Also, weight at 0.3 years and body mass index at 7 years and thereafter are correlated with adult weight. Our data did not confirm the birth weight–blood pressure hypothesis. Rather, we detected significant correlations between preadult measurements of blood pressure and weight with adult measurements. These results indicate that in black Americans, childhood growth is a stronger determinant than intrauterine growth of adult blood pressure.

Key Words: blood pressure • birth weight • blacks

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