Birth weight, puberty, and systolic blood pressure in children and adolescents: a longitudinal analysis.

We examined the association between birth weight and systolic blood pressure (SBP) from pre-puberty to late puberty in a cohort of American children. Ninety-eight children aged 4-12 years at baseline were followed annually for 2-6 years with at least two Tanner stages. Annual measures included SBP, age, gender, race, birth weight, Tanner stage, and body composition using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and computed tomography. Birth weight was inversely correlated with SBP in pre-pubertal children (r=-0.23, P<0.05), especially in white children. SBP persisted at a higher level from pre-puberty through late puberty among children with low birth weight (<2500 g). However, SBP significantly increased from pre-puberty to early or late puberty among children with high birth weight (>or=4000 g). After adjusting for visceral fat, one unit change of birth weight category was associated with a 2.6 mm Hg reduction in SBP (P<0.05), but this association was attenuated as puberty progressed. The changes in SBP across puberty followed different trajectories in children with low vs high birth weight. Attenuation in the association between birth weight and SBP from pre-puberty to late puberty may be influenced by sexual maturation. Journal of Human Hypertension (2006) 20, 444-450. doi:10.1038/sj.jhh.1002021; published online 13 April 2006.