Correlation between birth weight and blood pressure of child and adolescent: A Meta-analysis

Objective To systematically review the correlation between birth weight and blood pressure of child and adolescent, and provide a theoretical basis for the etiologic research and the prevention for hypertension of child and adolescent. Methods Comprehensive electronic searches of Chinese Web of Knowledge (CNKI), Wang Fang, Wei Pu (VIP), PubMed and Web of Science were conducted to identify any study reporting the correlation of birth weight and blood pressure of child and adolescent. SPSS 13.0 software was used to convert the data. Meta-analysis was conducted with STATA 12.0 software. Results Thirty four researches were included in this study. The results of meta-analysis showed that low birth weight children or adolescents had a higher risk of hypertension with a significant difference compared to the group which birth weight greater than 2 500 g (OR=1.20; 95% CI: 1.09-1.33; P 0.05). But its systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure was on the high side too. Conclusions Abnormal birth weight is probably a risk factor of child and adolescent high blood pressure. Low birth weight has greater influence on blood pressure of children and adolescents. It can be detected early to prevent abnormal birth weight and child hypertension. Key words: Birth weight; Blood pressure; Child; Adolescent; Meta-analysis