PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Dwyer, T
AU  - Blizzard, L
AU  - Patterson, B
AU  - Ponsonby, A-L
AU  - Martin, K
AU  - Quinn, S
AU  - Sale, M M
AU  - Richards, S M
AU  - Morley, R
AU  - Rich, S
AU  - Dickinson, J L
TI  - Association between birth weight and adolescent systolic blood pressure in a caucasian birth cohort differs according to skin type, CRH promoter or 11β-HSD2 genotype
AID  - 10.1136/adc.2007.129122
DP  - 2008 Sep 01
TA  - Archives of Disease in Childhood
PG  - 760--767
VI  - 93
IP  - 9
4099  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/93/9/760.short
4100  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/93/9/760.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child2008 Sep 01; 93
AB  - Objective: To examine whether the inverse association between birth weight and blood pressure varies by skin pigmentation and/or related genotypes.Study design: 671 children from a predominantly caucasian birth cohort were followed-up to adolescence (mean (SD) age 14.4 (0.64)).Methods: Data on birth weight, socioeconomic status, maternal antenatal smoking, adolescent blood pressure and polymorphisms of candidate genes were obtained and analysed by multiple linear regression.Results: An increase in birth weight of 1 kg was associated with an non-significant difference in adolescent systolic blood pressure of –0.53 mm Hg (95% CI –1.72 to 0.66) per kg after adjustment for child age and cohort entry criteria. The inverse association between birth weight and systolic blood pressure was stronger for those with darker skin (⩾2% melanin) (difference in effect, p = 0.02), those with more copies of the C allele of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) +T1273C (p = 0.06), and those with more copies of the short (⩽236 bp) form of the 11β-HSD2{CA}nrepeat microsatellite (p = 0.03).Conclusions: These findings add to the evidence that cortisol-related pathways may account for at least part of the observed birth weight–blood pressure associations.