6.5 THE EPICURE STUDY: BLOOD PRESSURE AND ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN RELATION TO BIRTH BEFORE 26 WEEKS OF GESTATION

DOI

10.1016/j.artres.2009.10.170How to use a DOI?

Abstract

Background: Antenatal and postnatal growth are associated with increased arterial stiffness and cardiovascular risk (e.g. myocardial infarction and stroke) in adults born at term.

Aim: We investigated cuff blood pressure (BP) and arterial waveforms in 70 extremely preterm (EP) children and in 91 age and sex matched term-born classmates.

Methods: Arterial waveforms were evaluated by carotid and femoral applanation tonometry using the SphygmoCor device (Atcor™) by trained researchers blind to EP status. BP was measured using an automated Omron BP monitor. Data quality was assessed according to preset criteria and questions of pulse waveform quality jointly resolved by JF and an independent assessor (CM).

Results: There were no differences in cuff systolic or diastolic BP, mean BP or derived central BP in EP children compared to controls. However, EP children had lower systolic and higher diastolic BP after correcting for height differences. In contrast EP children had higher augmentation indices (AIx) than classmates; this remained significant after correcting for heart rate, height and mean BP.

	EP children Mean (sd)	Controls Mean (sd)	Difference of means (95%CI)
Augmentation index%	7.5(9.6)	2.1(8.5)	5.3 (2.5;8.1)***
Pulse Wave Velocity m/s	4.5(0.5)	4.7(0.9)	0.2 (0.1–0.4)
Systolic BPmmHg	108.6(10.3)	109.3(9.8)	0.98(0.52;1.42)***†
Diastolic BPmmHg	65.3(7.5)	62.5(7.2)	0.12(0.46;0.19)**†

†

Difference after correcting for height;

**

p=.001;

***

p<.001

Conclusion: This first report of increased augmentation index in EP children raises the possibility of future increased cardiovascular risk, not indicated from examination of peripheral blood pressure.

Open Access

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license.

TY  - JOUR
AU  - C.M. McEniery
AU  - J. Fawkes
AU  - I.B. Wilkinson
AU  - N. Marlow
AU  - J.R. Cockcroft
PY  - 2009
DA  - 2009/12/03
TI  - 6.5 THE EPICURE STUDY: BLOOD PRESSURE AND ARTERIAL STIFFNESS IN RELATION TO BIRTH BEFORE 26 WEEKS OF GESTATION
JO  - Artery Research
SP  - 158
EP  - 158
VL  - 3
IS  - 4
SN  - 1876-4401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.artres.2009.10.170
DO  - 10.1016/j.artres.2009.10.170
ID  - McEniery2009
ER  -