Cord Blood Metabolites and Risk for Increased Blood Pressure in Childhood

Cord blood metabolites are associated with risk for elevated blood pressure (BP) in childhood and adolescence, according to study results presented at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2022, held from November 5th through 7th, in Chicago, Illinois.

Researchers evaluated prospective associations of cord blood metabolites with systolic BP, diastolic BP, and the risk for increased BP in childhood and adolescence with use of data from the Boston Birth Cohort.

Metabolites were measured at birth from cord blood plasma samples, and systolic BP and diastolic BP were assessed at clinic visits from ages 3 to 18 years. The 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Practice Guideline was used to calculate BP percentiles.

A total of 902 mother-child dyads were included (45% female, 60% Black, 23% Hispanic). The median follow-up was 9.2 (IQR, 6.7-11.7) years, and the median number of BP observations per child was 7 (IQR, 4-11). Results showed that 3, 94, and 22 metabolites were associated with systolic BP, diastolic BP, and risk of increased BP, respectively, after adjustment for False Discovery Rate. Among the metabolites, 1-methylnicotinamide and dimethylguanidino valeric acid were associated with all 3 outcomes, and 22 metabolites were associated with diastolic BP and the risk for higher BP.

Multivariable adjustment demonstrated that 48 metabolites were significantly associated with diastolic BP. Nucleotides such as xanthosine, hypoxanthine, and xanthine as well as acylcarnitines such as C6 and C7 carnitines, were the metabolites with the strongest associations with systolic BP, diastolic BP, and risk for elevated BP.

“In this predominantly urban, low-income, minority cohort, cord blood metabolites were prospectively associated with BP and risk of elevated BP from childhood to adolescence,” the investigators wrote. “Cord metabolites may explain the intergenerational effects of in utero environments on BP in childhood and adolescence.”

Disclosure: One of the authors declared affiliations with industry. Please refer to the original article for a full list of disclosures.