Relation of fetal and infant growth to plasma fibrinogen and factor VII concentrations in adult life.

Abstract

Abstract'Objective-To determine whether reduced fetal and infant growth are associated with higher plasma fibrinogen and factor VII concentrations in adult life.Design-Follow up study of men born during 1920-30 whose weights at birth and at 1 year had been recorded by health visitors, and men born during 1935-43 whose size at birth had been measured in detail.Setting-Hertfordshire and Preston, England. Subjects-591 men born in east Hlertfordshire who still lived there and 148 men born in Preston who still lived-in or close to the city.Main outcome measures-Plasma fibrinogen and factor VII concentrations.Results-Among men in Hertfordshire mean plasma fibrinogen and factor VII concentrations fell with increasing weight at 1 year (from 3-21 g/l in men of -18 lb to 2-93 g/l in men of -27 lb and from 122% ofstandardto 103%;p<0 001, p<0 005 respectively).The trends were independent of cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, and social class. Neither plasma fibrinogen nor factor VII concentration was related to birth weight. In men in Preston, however, fibrinogen concentration fell progressively as the ratio of placental weight to birth weight decreased (p= 0.01).Conclusions-Reduced growth in fetal life and infancy is strongly related to high plasma concentrations of the haemostatic factors fibrinogen and -factor VII. This may be a persisting response to impaired liver development during a critical early period.

Relationship between maternal nutritional status and infant’s weight and body proportions at birth

“…Speci®c relationships were shown between different patterns of foetal growth restraint and type of chronic cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Thus, adults who were small babies with reduced birth weight had increased blood pressure, thin babies (low ponderal indices) developed high blood pressure and non insulin dependent diabetes, while disproportionate babies (short in relation to head circumference) were shown to be at risk as adults for raised blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and ®brinogen (Barker, 1992;Barker, 1993).…”

Effect of intrauterine growth retardation on liver and long-term metabolic risk

“…74,75 Humans In humans, the impairment of growth during fetal and early postnatal life has been associated with increased plasma concentrations of fibrinogen and factor VII in adulthood. 76 The high plasma concentrations of the two hemostatic factors may predispose to thrombosis and increase the risk of CVD. The finding that middle aged men and women with small abdominal circumference at birth, a proxy for liver size, show raised serum concentrations of total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein B suggests an impaired liver function in subjects with intrauterine growth retardation, eventually leading to altered cholesterol metabolism.…”

Early linear growth retardation and later blood pressure

“…Postnatal nutrition may also be important. Birth weight and weight at 1 y are associated with several cardiovascular risk factors and diseases; both measures are inversely associated with impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes in adults (Hales et al, 1991), while low weight at 1 y, but not birth weight is related to increased plasma ®brinogen and factor VII concentrations (Barker et al, 1992) and ischaemic heart disease (Barker et al, 1989b;Fall et al, 1995).…”