American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access published online on May 20, 2008
American Journal of Epidemiology, doi:10.1093/aje/kwn106
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Original Contribution |
Early Life Growth and Hemostatic Factors
The Barry Caerphilly Growth Study
1 Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
2 Health Research Board An Bord Taighde Sláinte, Dublin, Ireland
3 Department of Child Health, University College of Wales, Cardiff, Wales
4 Division of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland
Correspondence to Abigail Fraser, Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, Whiteladies Road, Bristol, BS8 2PR United Kingdom (e-mail: Abigail.fraser{at}bristol.ac.uk).
Received for publication October 19, 2007. Accepted for publication March 26, 2008.
Associations between early life growth trajectories and a range of adult (aged 
25 years) hemostatic factors were assessed in the Barry Caerphilly Growth study (N = 517) in South Wales, 1974–1999. Associations of birth weight, birth length, and weight and height velocities during three periods ("immediate": 0–<5 months, "infant": 5 months–<1 year 9 months, and "childhood": 1 year 9 months–5 years) with adult levels of hemostatic factors were assessed. Birth weight was inversely associated with fibrinogen (β per 1-unit change in z score = –0.08, 95% confidence interval (CI): –0.15, –0.02). Immediate weight velocity was inversely associated with factor VII (β = –1.88, 95% CI: –3.84, 0.09), factor VIII (β = –2.58, 95% CI: –4.07, –0.45), and von Willebrand factor antigen (β = –4.07, 95% CI: –7.25, –0.89). Birth length was inversely associated with fibrinogen (β = –0.07, 95% CI: –0.14, –0.01). Evidence was weaker for an inverse association of immediate height velocity with factor VIII (β = –2.16, 95% CI: –4.62, 0.29) and von Willebrand factor antigen (β = –2.85, 95% CI: –6.52, 0.81). Childhood height velocity was positively associated with D-dimer (ratio of geometric means = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.23). Results support the view that the immediate postnatal period may be particularly important, possibly through impaired liver development and/or infection in early life, in determining cardiovascular disease risk.
factor VII; factor VIII; fibrin-fibrinogen degradation products; fibrinogen; growth and development; tissue plasminogen activator; von Willebrand factor
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; t-PA, tissue plasminogen activator; VWF, von Willebrand factor antigen