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Cited by 682Birth, Development, and HealthPrenatal Substance Exposure EffectsMaternal and Neonatal Healthcare

Coronary heart disease after prenatal exposure to the Dutch famine, 1944-45

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Roseboom, T J·2000·Heart
DOI 10.1136/heart.84.6.595PMC PMC1729504
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of prenatal exposure to maternal malnutrition on coronary heart disease in people born around the time of the Dutch famine, 1944-45. DESIGN: Historical cohort study. SETTING: Community study. PATIENTS: Singletons born alive between November 1943 and February 1947 for whom detailed birth records were available. DESIGN: The prevalence of coronary heart disease was compared between those exposed to famine in late gestation (n = 120), in mid-gestation (n = 108), or in early gestation (n = 68), and those born in the year before the famine or those conceived in the year after the famine (non-exposed subjects, n = 440). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of coronary heart disease, defined as the presence of angina pectoris according to the Rose questionnaire, Q waves on the ECG, or a history of coronary revascularisation. RESULTS: The prevalence of coronary heart disease was higher in those exposed in early gestation than in non-exposed people (8.8% v 3.2%; odds ratio adjusted for sex 3.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1 to 8.1). The prevalence was not increased in those exposed in mid gestation (0.9%) or late gestation (2.5%). People with coronary heart disease tended to have lower birth weights (3215 g v 3352 g, p = 0.13), and smaller head circumferences at birth (32.2 cm v 32.8 cm, p = 0.05), but the effect of exposure to famine in early gestation was independent of birth weight (adjusted odds ratio 3.2, 95% CI 1.2 to 8.8). CONCLUSIONS: Although the numbers are very small, this is the first evidence suggesting that maternal malnutrition during early gestation contributes to the occurrence of coronary heart disease in the offspring.

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  • Exposure to the 1944 Dutch famine particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of the offspring developing obesity in adulthood.

    “This work found that exposure to famine particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of the offspring developing obesity in adulthood [58, 59].”

    From Developmental programming of offspring adipose tissue biology and obesity risk (2021) · cites this paper as [59]

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Authors
Roseboom, T. J.
Affiliations
Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam (NL)
Corresponding author
Roseboom, T J
ORCID
Roseboom, T J
Venue
Heart
Publisher
BMJ
Published
2000-12-01
Volume
84
Issue
6
Pages
595-598
ISSN
0007-0769 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1136/heart.84.6.595
PMC
PMC1729504
OpenAlex
W2131165622
Cited by
682
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 35 · 2019: 35 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 35 · 2014: 39 · 2013: 38 · 2012: 48
FWCI
14.15
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Heart (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
  • Pure Amsterdam UMC (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • Diabetes Fonds
  • Medical Research Council
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Birth, Development, and Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare
Keywords
coronary artery disease, Dutch famine, prenatal exposure, maternal malnutrition, early pregnancy, birth weight, head circumference, angina pectoris, coronary revascularization, offspring health
MeSH terms
Birth Weight, Cephalometry, Coronary Disease, Female, Gestational Age, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Male, Middle Aged, Netherlands, Placental Insufficiency, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Risk Factors, Starvation, Cohort Studies, Prevalence

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