81 Relationship Between Birth Weight, Blood Pressure, Bmi and Other Anthropometric Indices in Greek Children 3 to 10 Years Old

Abstract

Background: The ”fetal origins hypothesis” asserts that birth weight is inversely related to later blood pressure. Additionally, low birth weight seems to be associated with later risk for central obesity, which also confers increased cardiovascular risk. This study investigates the relationship between birth weight, blood pressure, BMI and some anthropometric indices in Greek children, aged 3 to 10 years.Methods: A total number of 173 Greek children 3 to 10 years old were classified into 3 groups according to their birth weight: small-for-gestational age (SGA, n= 28), large-for-gestational age (LGA, n= 43) and appropriate-for-gestational age (AGE, n= 102). Anthropometric indices were measured as: BMI, head circumference (HC), skinfold thickness at biceps (BCF), triceps (TCF), subscapular (SSF) and suprailiac (SIF) areas, chest, waist and hip circumference, and were correlated to arterial blood pressure (systolic-SBP and diastolic-DBP).Results: No differences were observed as for SBP and DBP in relation to percentiles for age, height and gender for BCF, SSF and SIF. Children born SGA had lower BMI (p< 0.05), HC (p< 0.0001), TCF (p< 0.01), chest (p< 0.001), waist (p< 0.0001) and hip circumference (p< 0.0001) than children born AGA. Children born LGA had lower TCF (p< 0.05) and waist circumference (p< 0.05) than AGA, but they had higher chest (p< 0.001) and hip circumference (p< 0.01) than SGA. There was positive significant correlation between BMI and SBP in children born SGA (p< 0.01) and AGA (p< 0.0001) but not LGA. Positive correlation was found between BMI and DBP (p< 0.01) in children born LGA but not in SGA and AGA.Conclusion: This study demonstrates that it is the BMI which correlates with blood pressure in the studied group of Greek children.