Identification of early childhood and family factors associated with cardiovascular risk factors in pre-pubertal age

Abstract

The UBCS is a prospective study with a longitudinal design. At baseline examination n = 1066 mothers and their newborns were recruited for the study. The study was followed up 6 weeks, 6 months, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 years after child’s birth. At the 8-year follow-up of the UBCS n = 536 children, n = 524 mothers and n = 314 fathers (n = 303 trios) were anthropometrically and clinically examined at the Division of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Ulm University. A fasting blood sample of the children and of their parents was taken. Plasma concentrations of fasting insulin (mU/l), glucose (mg/dl), apolipoprotein B (g/l), retinol-binding-protein 4 (g/l), leptin (ng/ml) and adiponectin (µg/ml) were measured. The aim of the present study was to look for intrafamilial associations of cardiovascular risk factors and to search for determinants affecting these associations. Only the maternal fasting blood concentrations of insulin were positively associated with offsprings’ fasting blood concentrations of insulin at eight years of age. The concentrations of the cardiovascular risk factors fasting blood glucose, ApoB and RBP4 were more strongly associated between mothers and children than between fathers and children at eight years of age. The BMI values and the fasting blood concentrations of leptin were intrafamilially more strongly related between fathers and children than between mothers and children at eight years of age. Higher maternal pre-pregnancy BMI values were significantly associated with higher fasting blood concentrations of insulin in the offsprings at eight years of age. It is suggested that an altered intrauterine milieu which a foetus whose mother showed a greater BMI value before and during pregnancy might be exposed to, has long-time consequences on offsprings’ cardiovascular risk factors especially on the blood concentrations of insulin.