Association of blood pressure in adolescence with birthweight

AIMS To compare the blood pressure of very low birthweight infants with that of normal birthweight controls in adolescence. METHODS A cohort of all infants of birthweight ⩽ 1500 g born to women resident in the county of Merseyside in 1980–1 was followed up at age 15 years with age, sex, and school matched controls. Growth indices and blood pressures were measured under standard conditions. The smoking history of mothers and children and their status for several socioeconomic variables were documented. In a matched pairs analysis systolic and diastolic blood pressures were compared for cases and controls before and after adjusting for height, weight, and body mass index. RESULTS There were 172 singleton 15 year old survivors of birthweight CONCLUSIONS The study supports the hypothesis that in adolescents variation in systolic blood pressure has its origins in fetal development. Some of the variation could be attributed to socioeconomic differences.