Association of High Birth Weight With Incident Heart Failure in the ARIC Study

摘要

BackgroundTraditional risk factors for heart failure––coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and smoking––only account for about 50% of cases. Thus, the identification of novel risk factors is of significant public health importance. As high birth weight infants are at increased risk for obesity and diabetes mellitus later in life, which are both risk factors for the development of heart failure, we sought to assess the association of high birth weight with incident heart failure in the ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) study.