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Abstract

Objective: To examine whether the inverse association between birth weight and blood pressure varies by skin pigmentation and/or related genotypes.

Study design: 671 children from a predominantly caucasian birth cohort were followed-up to adolescence (mean (SD) age 14.4 (0.64)).

Methods: Data on birth weight, socioeconomic status, maternal antenatal smoking, adolescent blood pressure and polymorphisms of candidate genes were obtained and analysed by multiple linear regression.

Results: An increase in birth weight of 1 kg was associated with an non-significant difference in adolescent systolic blood pressure of –0.53 mm Hg (95% CI –1.72 to 0.66) per kg after adjustment for child age and cohort entry criteria. The inverse association between birth weight and systolic blood pressure was stronger for those with darker skin (2% melanin) (difference in effect, p = 0.02), those with more copies of the C allele of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) +T1273C (p = 0.06), and those with more copies of the short (236 bp) form of the 11β-HSD2{CA}nrepeat microsatellite (p = 0.03).

Conclusions: These findings add to the evidence that cortisol-related pathways may account for at least part of the observed birth weight–blood pressure associations.

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Dwyer, T and Blizzard, CL and Patterson, B and Ponsonby, AL and Martin, KL and Quinn, SJ and Sale, MM and Richards, SM and Morley, R and Rich, S and Dickinson, JL
Journal or Publication Title:	Archives of Disease in Childhood
DOI / ID Number:	10.1136/adc.2007.129122
Additional Information:	Copyright © 2008 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
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