Background: Increases in pre-term births and improved survival rates have led to interest in the association between gestational age and health in adulthood. Associations between gestational age and risk factors for cardiovascular disease have not been fully investigated.
Methods: Using data from the 1958 British birth cohort (7847 singletons), the associations between gestational age and blood pressure, glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), lipid levels and body mass index (BMI) at age 44-45 years were examined.
Results: After adjustment for sex, birthweight standardized for gestational age and sex and current BMI there was a reduction in systolic blood pressure of 0.53 mmHg (95% CI: 0.32, 0.75) for every 1 week increase in gestational age. There was a non-linear association between gestational age and diastolic blood pressure, with those cohort members born at earlier gestational ages found to have higher diastolic blood pressure than those born at term. These associations remained after adjustments. A 'U'-shaped association was found between gestational age and BMI among women (P = 0.02 for sex x gestational age interaction) which attenuated after adjustment. There was also a weak inverse association between gestational age and total cholesterol specific to women (P = 0.01 for sex x gestational age interaction). No clear associations were found between gestational age and BMI or total cholesterol in men, or between gestational age and HbA1c or other lipid levels in either sex.
Conclusions: In the 1958 British birth cohort duration of gestation was associated with blood pressure in mid-life. Understanding this association is necessary to inform policy and preventative interventions.