Norman Mikael
Department for Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Acta Paediatr. 2008 Sep;97(9):1165-72. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2008.00904.x. Epub 2008 Jun 12.
Low birth weight (LBW) is a risk factor for hypertension, stroke and coronary heart disease in adults. Mechanisms underlying cardiovascular disease may therefore be initiated in early life. Studies to investigate the initiating events and emergence of vascular risk markers in infancy and childhood have been an area of particular interest in recent years. The aim of this review is to focus on the early development of the human vascular tree in relation to LBW. Specific characteristics, including endothelial function, intima-media thickness, microvascular density, arterial dimensions and elasticity, will be discussed. LBW due to different causes--poor foetal growth or preterm birth--results in different patterns of altered development of the vascular system, which can already be seen in infancy. Follow-up studies in children and young adults indicate that vascular compromise in many ways persists in those born either small for gestational age or prematurely.
LBW is associated with structural and functional changes in the vascular tree, which have implications for cardiovascular health in adult life.
低出生体重（LBW）是成年人患高血压、中风和冠心病的危险因素。因此，心血管疾病的潜在机制可能在生命早期就已启动。近年来，研究婴儿期和儿童期血管风险标志物的起始事件和出现情况一直是特别受关注的领域。本综述的目的是关注与低出生体重相关的人类血管树的早期发育。将讨论包括内皮功能、内膜中层厚度、微血管密度、动脉尺寸和弹性在内的具体特征。由于不同原因导致的低出生体重——胎儿生长不良或早产——会导致血管系统发育改变的不同模式，这些在婴儿期就已可见。对儿童和年轻成年人的随访研究表明，出生时小于胎龄或早产的人在许多方面的血管损害会持续存在。
低出生体重与血管树的结构和功能变化有关，这对成年后的心血管健康有影响。
