Abstract
We compared blood pressure of individuals (mean age 59 y) born in western Holland between January 1945 and March 1946 (mothers exposed to the Dutch Famine before or during gestation; n = 359) to blood pressure of unexposed individuals born before or conceived after the famine (n = 299) or same-sex siblings of subjects in series 1 or 2 (n = 313). Mean (SD) systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 140.3 (20.3) and 85.8 (11.0) mmHg, respectively; prevalence of hypertension (prior diagnosis of hypertension or with measured systolic/diastolic blood pressure above 140/90 mmHg) was 61.8%. Birth weight was inversely related to systolic (−4.14 mmHg per kg; 95% confidence interval (CI) −7.24, −1.03; p < 0.01) and diastolic (−2.09 mmHg per kg; 95% CI −3.77, −0.41; p < 0.05) blood pressure and to the prevalence of hypertension (odds ratio 0.67 per kg, 95% CI: 0.49, 0.93) (all age- and sex-adjusted). Any famine exposure of at least 10 weeks duration was associated with elevated systolic (2.77 mmHg; 95% CI 0.25, 5.30; p < 0.05) and diastolic (1.27 mmHg; 95% CI −0.13, 2.66; p = 0.08) blood pressure and with hypertension prevalence (odds ratio 1.44; 95% CI 1.04, 2.00; p < 0.05) in age- and sex-adjusted models. Exposure to famine during gestation may predispose to the development of hypertension in middle age.
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Acknowledgements
Supported by grant RO1 HL067914 (PI: LHL), National Institutes of Health, USA. We thank the Vroedvrouwenscholen of Amsterdam and Rotterdam and the Obstetrics Department of the Leiden University Medical Center in Leiden for their help in accessing their archives.
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Stein, A., Zybert, P., van der Pal-de Bruin, K. et al. Exposure to famine during gestation, size at birth, and blood pressure at age 59 y: evidence from the dutch famine. Eur J Epidemiol 21, 759–765 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-006-9065-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-006-9065-2