Birthweight predicts adult cardiovascular disorders: Population based cross sectional survey

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of death in the developed‐countries and mostly in the poorer areas of the country, and in lower income‐groups. HYPOTHESIS: Birthweight predicts adult development of angina, coronary heart disease, stroke, and combination of all CVD. METHODS: The AusDiab is a cross‐sectional study of Australians aged 25 years or over. Data on age, sex, previous‐CVD, smoking‐status, alcohol‐intake, time‐spent on watching television and physical‐activity, total house‐income, dwelling‐type and education‐level were collected by interviewer‐ administered‐questionnaires. RESULTS: Four thousand five hundred and two had birthweights (mean (SD) of 3.4(0.7) kg). Females in the lowest birthweight‐quintile were at least 1.23, 1.48, 1.65, and 1.23 times more likely to have angina, CAD, stroke, and CVS compared to the referent group ≥3.72 kg with P = .123, .09, .099, and 0.176, respectively. Similarly, males in the lowest‐birthweight‐quintile were 1.23, 1.30, 1.39, and 1.26 times more likely to have angina, CAD, stroke, and CVS compared to the referent‐group ≥4.05 kg with P = .231, .087, .102, and .123, respectively. Females with low birth weight (LBW) were at least 1.39, 1.40, 2.30, and 1.47 times more likely to have angina, CAD, stroke and CVS compared to those ≥2.5 kg with P = .06, .19, .03, and .13, respectively. Similarly, males with LBW were 1.76, 1.48, 3.34, and 1.70 times more likely to have angina, CAD, stroke, and CVS compared to those ≥2.5 kg with P = .14, .13, .03, and .08, respectively. CONCLUSION: there was a negative relationship between birth weight and angina, CAD, stroke, and the overall CVS. It would be prudent, to adopt policies of intensified whole of life surveillance of lower‐birthweight people, anticipating this risk.