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



Goloba, Muti, Raghuraman, Rajendra, Botros, Nansi, Khan, Uzma, Klein, Monique, Brown, Amelia, Duffy, Donovan, Anim-Nyame, Nick, Wang, Duolao, Manyonda, Isaac
et al (show 1 more authors) (2019) Early Life Microcirculatory Plasticity and Blood Pressure Changes in Low Birth Weight Infants Born to Normotensive Mothers: A Cohort Study. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HYPERTENSION, 32 (6). pp. 570-578.

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Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>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.<h4>Methods</h4>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.<h4>Results</h4>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.<h4>Conclusions</h4>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.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: blood pressure, capillary rarefaction, essential hypertension, hypertension, low birth weight, microcirculation
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 05 Feb 2020 09:40
Last Modified: 19 Jan 2023 00:04
DOI: 10.1093/ajh/hpz034
Open Access URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/ajh/hpz034
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URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3073551