Objective: To compare the prevalence of hypertension between low birth weight infant (LBWI) women and non-LBWI women.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was applied and 3 172 pregnant women giving births during October 1976 to December 2008 in our hospital and underwent physical check-up between 2010 and 2011 at the Kailuan medical group were included and divided into LBWI group and non-LBWI group by the history of LBWI. Prevalence of hypertension was obtained during the follow-up program. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relative risk of hypertension.
Results: A total number of 3 172 women, with an average age of 42.3 years old were divided into LBWI group (n = 147) and non-LBWI group (n = 3 025), with the average birth weights of their infants were 2.31 kg and 3.39 kg, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension from the follow-up program was significantly higher in LBWI group than that in the non-LBWI group (23.8% vs. 16.9%, P < 0.05). After adjustment for other traditional risk factors, the risk of hypertension in LBWI group was 1.60 (95%CI:1.02-2.53) folds higher than that in the non-LBWI group.
Conclusion: Prevalence of hypertension in women with LBWI was higher than that in those women without LBWI. History of LBWI seemed to have had an increased risk to develop hypertension.