American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access originally published online on February 8, 2006
American Journal of Epidemiology 2006 163(7):608-614; doi:10.1093/aje/kwj085
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Original Contribution |
Adult Blood Pressure and Climate Conditions in Infancy: A Test of the Hypothesis that Dehydration in Infancy Is Associated with Higher Adult Blood Pressure
1 Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
2 Research Unit in Health, Behaviour and Change, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Correspondence to Dr. Debbie A. Lawlor, Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, Whiteladies Road, Bristol, BS8 2PR, United Kingdom (e-mail: d.a.lawlor{at}bristol.ac.uk).
The authors hypothesized that individuals born in the early 20th century who experienced the hottest and driest summers during infancy would be more likely to have suffered severe infant diarrhea and dehydration, and consequently have had higher blood pressure in adulthood, than those who experienced cooler and wetter summers. In this context, these climate data act as an instrumental variable for the association of early-life dehydration with later blood pressure. For 3,964 randomly selected British women born between 1919 and 1940 and whose blood pressure was measured at age 60–79 years, a one standard deviation (1.3°C) higher mean summer temperature in the first year of life was associated with a 1.12-mmHg (95% confidence interval: 0.33, 1.91) higher adult systolic blood pressure, and a one standard deviation higher mean summer rainfall (33.9 mm) was associated with lower systolic blood pressure (–1.65 mmHg, 95% confidence interval: –2.44, –0.85). Equivalent results for diastolic blood pressure were 0.11 (95% confidence interval: –0.65, 0.86) and –0.32 (95% confidence interval: –0.71, 0.05). The climate variables were not associated with potential confounding factors such as socioeconomic position or lifestyle risk factors. These findings provide some evidence in favor of the hypothesis that dehydration in infancy is associated with higher adult blood pressure.
blood pressure; climate; dehydration; growth and development; infant
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; SD, standard deviation
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  G D Batty, B L Horta, G D. Smith, F C Barros, and C Victora Early life diarrhoea and later blood pressure in a developing country: the 1982 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort study J Epidemiol Community Health, February 1, 2009; 63(2): 163 - 165. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 L. C. H. Fernald, P. J. Gertler, and X. Hou Cash Component of Conditional Cash Transfer Program Is Associated with Higher Body Mass Index and Blood Pressure in Adults J. Nutr., November 1, 2008; 138(11): 2250 - 2257. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G D. Batty, G. D. Smith, C. H D Fall, A. A. Sayer, E. Dennison, C. Cooper, and C. R Gale Association of diarrhoea in childhood with blood pressure and coronary heart disease in older age: analyses of two UK cohort studies Int. J. Epidemiol., December 1, 2007; 36(6): 1349 - 1355. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
O. Naess, B. H Strand, and G. D. Smith Childhood and adulthood socioeconomic position across 20 causes of death: a prospective cohort study of 800 000 Norwegian men and women J Epidemiol Community Health, November 1, 2007; 61(11): 1004 - 1009. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|