Birth weight and adult hypertension and diabetes mellitus in US men.

Low birth weight has been associated with an increased risk of hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) in small studies, mainly from Britain. We examined the relation between birth weight and adult HTN and DM in 22,693 male participants of the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (mean age 60.8 years). Information on birth weight, the diagnosis of HTN and of DM, and other relevant factors was obtained by biennial mailed questionnaires. In 1994, the prevalence of HTN was 32% and of DM was 5.3%. Overall, 4.9% of the men had birth weights < 5.5 lbs. Compared to the middle birth weight category (7.0-8.4 lbs), the odds ratios (OR) for HTN and DM, adjusted for age, body mass index (BMI) and parental history of HTN and DM, were: Thus, men with low birth weight were at significantly higher risk for HTN and DM, even after controlling for adult BMI. We conclude that early life exposures affecting birth weight may be important in the development of HTN and DM in adults.