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Perinatal complications and aging indicators by midlife.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Shalev, I; Caspi, A; Ambler, A; Belsky, DW; Chapple, S; Cohen, HJ; Israel, S; Poulton, R; Ramrakha, S; Rivera, CD; Sugden, K; Williams, B ...
Published in: Pediatrics
November 2014

BACKGROUND: Perinatal complications predict increased risk for morbidity and early mortality. Evidence of perinatal programming of adult mortality raises the question of what mechanisms embed this long-term effect. We tested a hypothesis related to the theory of developmental origins of health and disease: that perinatal complications assessed at birth predict indicators of accelerated aging by midlife. METHODS: Perinatal complications, including both maternal and neonatal complications, were assessed in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study cohort (N = 1037), a 38-year, prospective longitudinal study of a representative birth cohort. Two aging indicators were assessed at age 38 years, objectively by leukocyte telomere length (TL) and subjectively by perceived facial age. RESULTS: Perinatal complications predicted both leukocyte TL (β = -0.101; 95% confidence interval, -0.169 to -0.033; P = .004) and perceived age (β = 0.097; 95% confidence interval, 0.029 to 0.165; P = .005) by midlife. We repeated analyses with controls for measures of family history and social risk that could predispose to perinatal complications and accelerated aging, and for measures of poor health taken in between birth and the age-38 follow-up. These covariates attenuated, but did not fully explain the associations observed between perinatal complications and aging indicators. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide support for early-life developmental programming by linking newborns' perinatal complications to accelerated aging at midlife. We observed indications of accelerated aging "inside," as measured by leukocyte TL, an indicator of cellular aging, and "outside," as measured by perceived age, an indicator of declining tissue integrity. A better understanding of mechanisms underlying perinatal programming of adult aging is needed.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

Pediatrics

DOI

EISSN

1098-4275

Publication Date

November 2014

Volume

134

Issue

5

Start / End Page

e1315 / e1323

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Prospective Studies
  • Pregnancy Complications
  • Pregnancy
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Perinatal Care
  • Pediatrics
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Humans
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Shalev, I., Caspi, A., Ambler, A., Belsky, D. W., Chapple, S., Cohen, H. J., … Moffitt, T. E. (2014). Perinatal complications and aging indicators by midlife. Pediatrics, 134(5), e1315–e1323. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-1669
Shalev, Idan, Avshalom Caspi, Antony Ambler, Daniel W. Belsky, Simon Chapple, Harvey Jay Cohen, Salomon Israel, et al. “Perinatal complications and aging indicators by midlife.Pediatrics 134, no. 5 (November 2014): e1315–23. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-1669.
Shalev I, Caspi A, Ambler A, Belsky DW, Chapple S, Cohen HJ, et al. Perinatal complications and aging indicators by midlife. Pediatrics. 2014 Nov;134(5):e1315–23.
Shalev, Idan, et al. “Perinatal complications and aging indicators by midlife.Pediatrics, vol. 134, no. 5, Nov. 2014, pp. e1315–23. Pubmed, doi:10.1542/peds.2014-1669.
Shalev I, Caspi A, Ambler A, Belsky DW, Chapple S, Cohen HJ, Israel S, Poulton R, Ramrakha S, Rivera CD, Sugden K, Williams B, Wolke D, Moffitt TE. Perinatal complications and aging indicators by midlife. Pediatrics. 2014 Nov;134(5):e1315–e1323.

Published In

Pediatrics

DOI

EISSN

1098-4275

Publication Date

November 2014

Volume

134

Issue

5

Start / End Page

e1315 / e1323

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Prospective Studies
  • Pregnancy Complications
  • Pregnancy
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Perinatal Care
  • Pediatrics
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Humans