ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is about 3-10% of live-born newborns and can be as high as 20% in developing countries. It may result in the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases later in life. METHODS: The aim of this study was echocardiographic evaluation, with the use of conventional and tissue Doppler parameters, of cardiac function in children born with IUGR, and comparison with healthy peers born as normally grown foetuses. RESULTS: In the IUGR group, E wave and E/A ratio were significantly lower compared to the control group. A wave, isovolumetric relaxation time, deceleration time, myocardial performance index as well as E/E' septal and E/E' lateral indices were significantly higher compared to healthy peers. CONCLUSION: Children with IUGR presented with subclinical myocardial dysfunction.
Subject(s)
Cardiomyopathies/physiopathology , Echocardiography, Doppler/methods , Fetal Growth Retardation/diagnosis , Heart Ventricles/physiopathology , Ultrasonography, Prenatal , Ventricular Function, Left/physiology , Cardiomyopathies/diagnosis , Cardiomyopathies/etiology , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Heart Ventricles/diagnostic imaging , Humans , Male , PregnancyABSTRACT
According to metabolic programming theory, small-for-gestational age patients are at high risk of cardiovascular diseases also because of the possible malfunction of the autonomic nervous system. Autonomic disorders can be assessed by heart rate variability. The aims of this study were to compare time domain parameters of heart rate variability in children born as small-for-gestational age and appropriate-for-gestational age and to assess the correlation of the postnatal and current somatic parameters with the time domain parameters. The small-for-gestational age group consisted of 68 children aged 5-10 years who were born with birth weight below the 10th percentile. The appropriate-for-gestational age group consisted of 30 healthy peers, matched in terms of gender and age. On the basis of Holter monitoring, slightly higher average heart rate was observed in the small-for-gestational age group than in the appropriate-for-gestational age group. It was found that all the time domain parameters (SDNN, SDNNi, SDANNi, rMSSD, pNN50) were lower in the small-for-gestational age group than in the appropriate-for-gestational age group. In the small-for-gestational age group, girls had lower heart rate and some of the heart rate variability parameters (SDNN, SDNNi, SDANNi) in comparison with boys. Children born as small-for-gestational age have impaired function of the autonomic nervous system. Moreover, in the small-for-gestational age group, autonomic balance moved towards the sympathetic component, which was evidenced by higher heart rate. Children with faster heart rate and lower heart rate variability parameters may be at risk of cardiovascular disease.
Subject(s)
Autonomic Nervous System/physiopathology , Heart Rate , Infant, Small for Gestational Age/growth & development , Birth Weight , Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology , Case-Control Studies , Child , Child, Preschool , Electrocardiography, Ambulatory , Female , Gestational Age , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Male , Poland , Prospective StudiesABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) is present in about 3-10% of live-born newborns and it is as high as 20-30% in developing countries. Since the 1990s, it has been known that abnormalities during foetal growth may result in cardiovascular disease, including hypertension in adulthood. METHODS: This study evaluated blood pressure parameters (using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring) in children aged six to 10 years old, born as small for gestational age (SGA), and compared them to their healthy peers born as appropriate for gestational age (AGA). RESULTS: In the SGA group, an abnormal blood pressure level (prehypertension or hypertension) was present significantly more often than in the AGA group (50 vs 16%, p < 0.01). This relationship also occurred in association with the type of IUGR (asymmetric p < 0.01, symmetric p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In SGA children, abnormal blood pressure values occurred more frequently than in AGA children.
