Heredity for hypertension influences intra-uterine growth and the relationbetween fetal growth and adult blood pressure

Objective To study whether heredity for hypertension influences intra-uteri ne growth and the relationship between fetal growth and adult blood pressur e, Design Five-year prospective follow-up study with retrospective collection of data on size at birth and gestational age from obstetric records. Setting Centre of preventive medicine in Malmo, Sweden. Subjects Thirty normotensive men with and 27 without heredity for hypertens ion were investigated in 1990, and the majority (n = 28 and n = 20, respect ively) in 1995 also. Main outcome measures Two measures of intra-uterine growth were compared be tween the groups and related to adult systolic blood pressure: the birth we ight deviation from the expected birth weight based on ultrasonically deriv ed intra-uterine growth curves, and the degree of thinness at birth (ponder al index = weight/length(3)). Results The birth weight deviation in men with heredity for hypertension di ffered significantly from that in men without such heredity (%) (-6.9 +/- 1 2.0 versus +7.3 +/- 18.4; P = 0.002), Ponderal index was somewhat lower in the men with than in those without heredity for hypertension, but the diffe rence did not reach statistical significance (kg/m(3)) (25.9 +/- 2.6 versus 27.0 +/- 2.2; P = 0.08), In the group with heredity for hypertension, syst olic blood pressure correlated inversely with ponderal index both in 1990 ( r = -0.44; P = 0.01) and 1995 (r = -0.49; P = 0.009), and the 5-year increa se in systolic blood pressure correlated inversely with the birth weight de viation (r = -0.38; P= 0.04), No such correlations were found in the group without heredity for hypertension. Conclusion Our results suggest that genetic factors contributing to the dev elopment of hypertension may influence intra-uterine growth. (C) Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.