Showing papers by "Ronald M. Lauer published in 1989"

Childhood risk factors for high adult blood pressure: the Muscatine Study.

Abstract: In adult populations, elevated blood pressure is related to the development of occlusive atherosclerosis, stroke, and renal disease The significance of blood pressure levels in childhood, unless extremely elevated, has not been related to disease outcomes In this study, the risk of high blood pressure in young adult life is evaluated based on the observations of blood pressure and other factors made during the school-aged years Subjects, 2445 in number, were first observed at ages 7 through 18 years and again between 20 and 30 years During childhood, measurements of blood pressure, height, and weight were made in alternate years At adult ages, the same measurements were again made and a health questionnaire was administered According to the data, adult blood pressure is correlated with childhood blood pressure, body size, and change in ponderosity from childhood to adult life Adult ponderosity is related to childhood ponderosity, and those who are most obese as adults show the greatest increase in weight for height from their childhood years These observations suggest that strategies to prevent the acquisition of excess ponderosity during adolescence may be useful in preventing adult hypertension

The relation between ponderosity and coronary risk factors in children and their relatives. The Muscatine Ponderosity Family Study.

Abstract: A family study was conducted in Muscatine, Iowa in 1984-1985 to evaluate the relation between ponderosity in children and coronary risk factor levels in these children and in their family members, and the genetic contribution to familial clustering of levels of ponderosity (body weight relative to height). Four groups of probands were selected from the 1,783 students who participated in three consecutive biennial school surveys. A random group (n = 70), a random sample of students from the entire pool; a lean group (n = 72), students in the lowest quintile of relative weight on all three surveys; a gain group (n = 70), students who gained at least two quintiles of relative weight over the four-year period; and a heavy group (n = 72), students in the highest quintile of relative weight on all three surveys. The parents, siblings, a related aunt or uncle, and a first cousin of these probands were also examined. The data show that levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, apolipoproteins A-1 and B, and systolic blood pressure in heavy group probands are consistent with increased coronary risk. This same association exists among the relatives with excess ponderosity. Levels of body mass index in the mothers, fathers, and siblings cluster with the levels in the probands, and genetic differences among persons explain 36-52 per cent of the variability in body mass index across the range of ponderosity represented by the probands and their relatives. While the contribution from genes is strong, these data suggest that the contribution from environmental factors is equally as important.

Predicting adult cholesterol levels from measurements in childhood and adolescence: the Muscatine Study.

Abstract: 2,446 subjects initially examined at ages eight to 18 years were reexamined as young adults at ages 20-25 years or 26-30 years. Measurements of cholesterol, height, weight, and triceps skinfold thickness were obtained during childhood. Lipids, lipoprotein fractions, family history as well as medication, alcohol, and tobacco use were determined during the adult examination. Elevated levels of cholesterol during childhood were associated with elevation in adult life. On average, of children found to have cholesterol levels greater than or equal to the 90th percentile for their age and gender, on a single measurement 43% remained above the 90th percentile, 62% remained above the 75th percentile, and 81% remained above the 50th percentile. Obesity acquired in adolescence and the young adult years, oral contraceptive use, and cigarette smoking had deleterious effects upon adult cholesterol levels and lipoprotein fractions.