Differential association of birth weight with cardiovascular risk variables in African- Americans and Whites: The Bogalusa heart study

Purpose To study the relationship between low birth weight and the subsequent development of cardiovascular risk factors and to compare this relationship between African-Americans and whites at 7 to 21 years of age. Methods The relationship of birth weight with cardiovascular risk factors, namely, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), BMI, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, and HOMA insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was examined retrospectively using information on 1155 participants (730 whites and 425 African-Americans) from two cohorts of the Bogalusa Heart Study. Results Participants with lower birth weight had higher systolic BP, HOMA-IR, triglycerides, and LDL. The association of birth weight with LDL, triglycerides, and HOMA-IR was stronger in African-Americans, while the association with systolic BP was stronger in whites. Subjects with birth weight <2500 g were at increased risk of having values of HOMA-IR and LDL in the upper quartile of the observed range compared with those with birth weight >2500 g. Conclusions These results support a relationship between low birth weight and the later development of important cardiovascular risk factors in young African-Americans and white individuals. This relationship tends to be stronger in African-Americans than in whites, except for systolic blood pressure.