Inverse Association Between Birth Weight and C-Reactive Protein Concentrations in the MIDSPAN Family Study

Objective—Inflammation markers and low birth weight each predict elevated risk of cardiovascular events and type 2 diabetes. However, potential associations between the low-grade inflammatory response as represented by C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations and low birth weight have been sparsely examined. Methods and results—In the MIDSPAN Family Study, 1663 individuals had birth weight data and CRP concentrations measured as adults (age 30 to 59). The relationship between these parameters was examined after adjusting for factors known to influence CRP concentrations inclusive of age, body mass index, smoking, socio-economic deprivation, and hormone use in women. After adjusting for potential confounders, there was a negative association between birth weight and CRP, whereby a 1-kg increase in birth weight is associated with a 10.7% decrease in CRP (95% CI: 3.0% to 17.8% decrease). There was no strong evidence that the effects differed in men and women (P =0.32). Conclusion—Low birth weight contributes to elevated CRP concentration in adult life. Future studies are required to determine to what extent this association reflects catch-up centile crossing, in utero programming, or genetic factors.

[1]  A. Dominiczak,et al.  Strikingly Low Circulating CRP Concentrations in Ultramarathon Runners Independent of Markers of Adiposity: How Low Can You Go? , 2003, Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology.

[2]  P. Macfarlane,et al.  Metabolic Syndrome With and Without C-Reactive Protein as a Predictor of Coronary Heart Disease and Diabetes in the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study , 2003, Circulation.

[3]  R. Gillum,et al.  Association of serum C-reactive protein and indices of body fat distribution and overweight in Mexican American children. , 2003, Journal of the National Medical Association.

[4]  D. Cook,et al.  Birth weight and blood cholesterol level: a study in adolescents and systematic review. , 2003, Pediatrics.

[5]  C. A. Newsome,et al.  Is birth weight related to later glucose and insulin metabolism?—a systematic review , 2003, Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association.

[6]  Sidney C. Smith,et al.  MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE: APPLICATION TO CLINICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE: A STATEMENT FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS FROM THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION AND THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION , 2003 .

[7]  S. Ebrahim,et al.  'Mendelian randomization': can genetic epidemiology contribute to understanding environmental determinants of disease? , 2003, International journal of epidemiology.

[8]  Yu-ling,et al.  Markers of inflammation and cardiovascular disease: application to clinical and public health practice: A statement for healthcare professionals from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association. , 2003, Circulation.

[9]  N. Cook,et al.  C-Reactive Protein, the Metabolic Syndrome, and Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Events: An 8-Year Follow-Up of 14 719 Initially Healthy American Women , 2003, Circulation.

[10]  W. Ferrell,et al.  Maternal obesity is associated with dysregulation of metabolic, vascular, and inflammatory pathways. , 2002, The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism.

[11]  R. Collins,et al.  Unravelling the fetal origins hypothesis: is there really an inverse association between birthweight and subsequent blood pressure? , 2002, The Lancet.

[12]  J. Friedman,et al.  TNF-α Is a Predictor of Insulin Resistance in Human Pregnancy , 2002 .

[13]  N. Sattar,et al.  C-reactive protein is an independent predictor of risk for the development of diabetes in the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study. , 2002, Diabetes.

[14]  P. Whincup,et al.  Physical Activity and Hemostatic and Inflammatory Variables in Elderly Men , 2002, Circulation.

[15]  G. Watt,et al.  Different Effects of Oral and Transdermal Hormone Replacement Therapies on Factor IX, APC Resistance, t-PA, PAI and C-reactive Protein , 2001, Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

[16]  P. Björntorp,et al.  Prenatal cytokine exposure results in obesity and gender-specific programming. , 2001, American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism.

[17]  J. Manson,et al.  C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, and risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. , 2001, JAMA.

[18]  G. Watt,et al.  Intergenerational 20 year trends in the prevalence of asthma and hay fever in adults: the Midspan family study surveys of parents and offspring , 2000, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[19]  D. Strachan,et al.  C-reactive protein concentration in children: relationship to adiposity and other cardiovascular risk factors. , 2000, Atherosclerosis.

[20]  S. Frøland,et al.  Effect of high- versus low-dose angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition on cytokine levels in chronic heart failure. , 1999, Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

[21]  S. Coppack,et al.  C-reactive protein in healthy subjects: associations with obesity, insulin resistance, and endothelial dysfunction: a potential role for cytokines originating from adipose tissue? , 1999, Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology.

[22]  G. Watt,et al.  Birth weight of offspring and mortality in the Renfrew and Paisley study: prospective observational study , 1997, BMJ.

[23]  C. Hart,et al.  Cardiorespiratory Disease in Men and Women in Urban Scotland: Baseline Characteristics of the Renfrew/Paisley(Midspan) Study Population , 1995, Scottish medical journal.

[24]  V. Carstairs,et al.  Deprivation and health in Scotland. , 1990, Health bulletin.

[25]  K Y Liang,et al.  Longitudinal data analysis for discrete and continuous outcomes. , 1986, Biometrics.

[26]  Copyright , 2005, DFT.

[27]  J. Friedman,et al.  TNF-alpha is a predictor of insulin resistance in human pregnancy. , 2002, Diabetes.

[28]  N. Sattar,et al.  C-reactive protein is an independent predictor of risk for the development of diabetes mellitus in the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study , 2002 .

[29]  W. Palinski,et al.  New evidence for beneficial effects of statins unrelated to lipid lowering. , 2001, Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology.

[30]  Wulf Palinsk.  New Evidence for Beneficial Effects of Statins Unrelated to Lipid Lowering , 2001 .

[31]  D. Barker.  Fetal origins of cardiovascular disease. , 1999, Annals of medicine.

[32]  D J Barker,et al.  The Fetal Origins of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus , 1999, Annals of Internal Medicine.

[33]  M. Fewtrell,et al.  Fetal origins of adult disease-the hypothesis revisited. , 1999, BMJ.

[34]  B. Seed,et al.  PPAR-gamma agonists inhibit production of monocyte inflammatory cytokines. , 1998, Nature.