Early Life Microcirculatory Plasticity and Blood Pressure Changes in Low Birth Weight Infants Born to Normotensive Mothers: A Cohort Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND Capillary rarefaction (CR) is an established hallmark of essential hypertension (EH). The aim of this study was to examine early changes in capillary density (CD) and blood pressure (BP) in low birth weight (LBW) infants who are at risk of developing EH in later life. METHODS We studied 77 LBW infants and 284 normal birth weight (NBW) infants, all born to mothers with normotension, in a longitudinal multicenter study. Intravital capillaroscopy was used to measure functional basal capillary density (BCD) and maximal capillary density (MCD) at birth, 3, 6, and 12 months. RESULTS We found that LBW infants, born preterm and at term, had a significantly higher CD at birth, then underwent significant CR in the 1st 3 months culminating in a CD similar to that seen in NBW infants. NBW infants showed a gradual reduction in CD between birth and 12 months. Non-Caucasian ethnicity and preterm birth were significant predictors of a higher CD at birth. Systolic BP in NBW infants increased significantly from birth to 3 months, and we identified a significant negative correlation between systolic BP and MCD. CONCLUSIONS This study has identified a process of early “accelerated capillary remodeling” in LBW infants, which corrects their higher CD at birth. This remodeling is unlikely to explain the CR seen in adult individuals with, or at risk of developing EH. Further follow-up studies are required to determine the timing and mechanisms involved in CR, which is likely to occur after the 1st year of life but before early adulthood.

The associations of low birth weight with primary hypertension in later life: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Eight studies (first part) with 1028 participants met the inclusion criteria to enter the first part of the meta-analysis. The minimum sample size was represented by the study of Boguszewski et al[ 23 ] and the maximum sample size was represented by the study of Goloba et al[ 24 ] All studies were published between 2001 and 2019. [ 17 23 24 25 26 27 28 ]…”

“…The minimum sample size was represented by the study of Boguszewski et al[ 23 ] and the maximum sample size was represented by the study of Goloba et al[ 24 ] All studies were published between 2001 and 2019. [ 17 23 24 25 26 27 28 ]…”

“…In fact, there is a process as early-accelerated capillary remodeling that cause fast change in high capillary density at birth to capillary rarefaction in the next month and to intensify by oxygen therapy in the early of neonatal period. [ 5 24 26 ] Several studies believe that the vascular endothelial dysfunction is a key role in the causation of EH in LBW. [ 13 ] Furthermore, some studies believe that the serum concentration of uric acid could be an important factor in the pathogenesis of EH.…”

Effect of Apolipoprotein E ε4 Allele on the Progression of Carotid Atherosclerosis Through Apolipoprotein Levels

“…However, traditional risk factors fail to explain all cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, investigators have sought to identify new risk indices. 22 The exact mechanisms underlying the association between ApoE polymorphism and CAS are not fully understood. The common ApoE polymorphism explains about 7% of variation in plasma cholesterol levels.…”

Birth weight and subclinical cardiovascular and renal damage in a population-based study (the STANISLAS cohort study)

“…On the other hand, few studies have been able to investigate the relationship between early impairment of endothelial function or vascular biomarkers [17], vascular stiffness and carotid, aortic and cardiac remodelling [16,[18][19][20][21] in adults born preterm. Preterm birth or LBW has been found to lead to increased risk of coronary artery disease [4,22,23], atrial fibrillation [6], stroke [24], chronic renal failure [25] and hypertension in adulthood [26].…”