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Objective To assess whether variations in maternal haemoglobin levels during pregnancy are associated with cardio-metabolic risk factors in school age children. Design Population-based prospective cohort study. Setting Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 2002-2012. Population Mothers and children ( n = 5002) participating in the Generation R Study. Methods We obtained maternal haemoglobin levels during early pregnancy (median gestational age 14.6 weeks [95% range 10.3, 25.3]) from venous blood samples. Maternal anaemia and elevated haemoglobin levels were based on World Health Organization criteria. We measured childhood cardio-metabolic risk factors at age 6 years. Main outcome measures Cardio-metabolic risk factors included body mass index, total fat mass percentage, android/gynoid fat mass ratio, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, left ventricular mass, and blood levels of cholesterol, insulin and C-peptide. Results Maternal haemoglobin levels were not associated with childhood body mass index, total fat mass percentage, android/gynoid fat mass ratio, systolic blood pressure, cholesterol or insulin levels. Compared with children with normal maternal haemoglobin levels, children from anaemic mothers had slightly higher diastolic blood pressures (difference 0.70 mmHg, 95% CI 0.12, 1.29) and lower C-peptide levels (difference factor 0.93, 95% CI 0.88, 0.98), and children of mothers with elevated haemoglobin levels had lower left ventricular masses (difference −1.08 g, 95% CI −1.88, −0.29). These associations attenuated after adjustment for multiple testing and were not consistent within linear models. Conclusion These results do not strongly support the hypothesis that variations in maternal haemoglobin levels during pregnancy influence cardio-metabolic risk factors in childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulmonary complications of blood transfusion, including transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI), transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO), and transfusion-associated dyspnea, are generally underdiagnosed and under-reported. The international TRALI and TACO definitions have recently been updated. Currently, no standardized pulmonary transfusion reaction reporting form exists and most of the hemovigilance forms have not yet incorporated the updated definitions. We developed a harmonized reporting form, aimed at improved data collection on pulmonary transfusion reactions for hemovigilance and research purposes by developing a standardized model reporting form and flowchart., Materials and Methods: Using a modified Delphi method among an international, multidisciplinary panel of 24 hemovigilance experts, detailed recommendations were developed for a standardized model reporting form for pulmonary complications of blood transfusion. Two Delphi rounds, including scoring systems, took place and several subsequent meetings were held to discuss issues and obtain consensus. Additionally, a flowchart was developed incorporating recently published redefinitions of pulmonary transfusion reactions., Results: In total, 17 participants completed the first questionnaire (70.8% response rate) and 14 participants completed the second questionnaire (58.3% response rate). According to the results from the questionnaires, the standardized model reporting form was divided into various subcategories: general information, patient history and transfusion characteristics, reaction details, investigations, treatment and supportive care, narrative, and transfused product., Conclusion: In this article, we present the recommendations from a global group of experts in the hemovigilance field. The standardized model reporting form and flowchart provide an initiative that may improve data collected to address pulmonary transfusion reactions., (© 2023 The Authors. Transfusion published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of AABB.)

Objective: Low birth weight is associated with cardiovascular disease. We examined the effects of fetal and infant growth patterns on cardiovascular outcomes in children., Methods: In a population-based prospective cohort study among 6239 children, we estimated fetal-femur length and weight by 20 and 30 weeks ultrasound, and child length and weight at birth, 0.5, 1, 2 and 6 years. We measured blood pressure (BP), carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, aortic root diameter, left ventricular mass and fractional shortening at 6 years. We used regression analyses to identify longitudinal growth patterns associated with height-standardized vascular outcomes and body-surface-area-standardized cardiac outcomes., Results: Younger gestational age and lower birth weight were associated with higher BP, smaller aortic root diameter and lower left ventricular mass in childhood (all P values <0.05). Children with decelerated or normal fetal growth followed by accelerated infant growth had higher BP, whereas those with decelerated growth during both fetal life and infancy had a relatively larger left ventricular mass. Longitudinal growth analyses showed that children with increased BP tended to be smaller during third trimester of fetal life, but of normal size during infancy, than children with normal BP. Children with increased aortic root diameter or left ventricular mass tended to be larger during fetal life, but of similar size during infancy., Conclusion: Specific fetal and infant growth patterns are associated with different cardiovascular outcomes in children. Further studies are needed to identify the underlying mechanisms and the long-term cardiovascular consequences.

Objective: To assess whether variations in maternal haemoglobin levels during pregnancy are associated with cardio-metabolic risk factors in school age children., Design: Population-based prospective cohort study., Setting: Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 2002-2012., Population: Mothers and children (n = 5002) participating in the Generation R Study., Methods: We obtained maternal haemoglobin levels during early pregnancy (median gestational age 14.6 weeks [95% range 10.3, 25.3]) from venous blood samples. Maternal anaemia and elevated haemoglobin levels were based on World Health Organization criteria. We measured childhood cardio-metabolic risk factors at age 6 years., Main Outcome Measures: Cardio-metabolic risk factors included body mass index, total fat mass percentage, android/gynoid fat mass ratio, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, left ventricular mass, and blood levels of cholesterol, insulin and C-peptide., Results: Maternal haemoglobin levels were not associated with childhood body mass index, total fat mass percentage, android/gynoid fat mass ratio, systolic blood pressure, cholesterol or insulin levels. Compared with children with normal maternal haemoglobin levels, children from anaemic mothers had slightly higher diastolic blood pressures (difference 0.70 mmHg, 95% CI 0.12, 1.29) and lower C-peptide levels (difference factor 0.93, 95% CI 0.88, 0.98), and children of mothers with elevated haemoglobin levels had lower left ventricular masses (difference -1.08 g, 95% CI -1.88, -0.29). These associations attenuated after adjustment for multiple testing and were not consistent within linear models., Conclusion: These results do not strongly support the hypothesis that variations in maternal haemoglobin levels during pregnancy influence cardio-metabolic risk factors in childhood., (© 2014 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.)

Background: More specific total body and abdominal fat mass measures might be stronger associated with cardiovascular risk factors in childhood, than BMI. We examined the independent associations of total and abdominal fat measures with cardiovascular risk factors in school age children., Methods: We performed a population-based cohort study among 6,523 children. At the age of 6 y, we measured childhood BMI, and general and abdominal fat mass, using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and ultrasound and cardiovascular risk factors., Results: Conditional on BMI, higher fat mass percentage and abdominal fat mass were associated with higher blood pressure, total- and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, insulin and c-peptide levels, but with lower left ventricular mass and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (P values < 0.05). These associations differed between underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese children. Higher childhood adiposity measures were associated with increased odds of cardiovascular risk factors clustering, with the strongest effect for fat mass percentage (odds ratios: 3.01 (95% confidence interval: 2.67, 3.9)., Conclusion: Our results suggest that general and abdominal fat measures are associated with cardiovascular risk factors in childhood, independent from BMI. These measures may provide additional information for identification of children with an adverse cardiovascular profile.

Objective: We evaluated the associations of both maternal and paternal smoking during pregnancy with the risk of type 2 diabetes in daughters and explored whether any association was explained by weight at birth or BMI throughout life., Research Design and Methods: We used data from 34,453 participants of the Nurses' Health Study II. We used Cox proportional hazards models to examine the associations of maternal and paternal smoking during pregnancy with incidence of type 2 diabetes in daughters between 1989 and 2009., Results: Maternal smoking during the first trimester only was associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes in the offspring, independent of confounders, birth weight, and later-life BMI (fully adjusted hazard ratio 1.34 [95% CI 1.01, 1.76]). In the age-adjusted models, both continued maternal smoking during pregnancy and paternal smoking tended to be associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in daughters. Perinatal and adult life variables did not explain these associations, but additional adjustment for current BMI fully attenuated the effect estimates., Conclusions: The associations of maternal and paternal smoking during pregnancy with the risk of type 2 diabetes in daughters were largely explained by BMI throughout the life course. Further studies are needed to explore the role of first-trimester-only maternal smoking on insulin resistance in the offspring. Also, similar effect estimates for maternal and paternal smoking suggest that the associations reflect shared family-based or lifestyle-related factors., (© 2014 by the American Diabetes Association. Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered.)

Objective: Low birth weight is associated with cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Hemodynamic adaptations related to fetal growth restriction may underlie these associations, through persistent influences on cardiovascular development. We examined the associations of third trimester fetal hemodynamics with cardiovascular outcomes in childhood., Methods: In a prospective cohort study among 917 pregnant women and their children, we measured fetal growth, and fetal arterial and cardiac hemodynamic variables with ultrasound and Doppler examinations at a gestational age of 30.3 (95% range 28.8-32.3) weeks. At the age of 6 years, we measured blood pressure, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, and left cardiac structures and function., Results: We observed that fetal hemodynamics were not associated with childhood blood pressure and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity. The fetal aorta ascendens diameter and left cardiac output were positively associated with childhood aortic root diameter [0.14 standard deviation score (SDS), 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07-0.22 and 0.08 SDS, 95% CI 0.01-0.15 per SDS change in diameter and output, respectively]. Fetal left ventricular diastolic filling pattern was inversely associated with aortic root diameter (-0.07 SDS, 95% CI -0.13 to 0.00 per SDS change in E/A ratio) at 6 years. Analyses adjusted and stratified for estimated fetal weight showed no differences in results., Conclusion: Our results suggest that third trimester fetal vascular resistance parameters do not affect blood pressure or arterial stiffness in childhood. Fetal cardiac functional and structural measures are associated with cardiac outcomes in childhood. Whether these early adaptations lead to greater risks of cardiovascular disease should be further studied.

Objective: To examine whether first trimester fetal growth restriction correlates with cardiovascular outcomes in childhood., Design: Population based prospective cohort study., Setting: City of Rotterdam, the Netherlands., Participants: 1184 children with first trimester fetal crown to rump length measurements, whose mothers had a reliable first day of their last menstrual period and a regular menstrual cycle., Main Outcomes Measures: Body mass index, total and abdominal fat distribution, blood pressure, and blood concentrations of cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, and C peptide at the median age of 6.0 (90% range 5.7-6.8) years. Clustering of cardiovascular risk factors was defined as having three or more of: high android fat mass; high systolic or diastolic blood pressure; low high density lipoprotein cholesterol or high triglycerides concentrations; and high insulin concentrations., Results: One standard deviation score greater first trimester fetal crown to rump length was associated with a lower total fat mass (-0.30%, 95% confidence interval -0.57% to -0.03%), android fat mass (-0.07%, -0.12% to -0.02%), android/gynoid fat mass ratio (-0.53, -0.89 to -0.17), diastolic blood pressure (-0.43, -0.84 to -0.01, mm Hg), total cholesterol (-0.05, -0.10 to 0, mmol/L), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (-0.04, -0.09 to 0, mmol/L), and risk of clustering of cardiovascular risk factors (relative risk 0.81, 0.66 to 1.00) in childhood. Additional adjustment for gestational age and weight at birth changed these effect estimates only slightly. Childhood body mass index fully explained the associations of first trimester fetal crown to rump length with childhood total fat mass. First trimester fetal growth was not associated with other cardiovascular outcomes. Longitudinal growth analyses showed that compared with school age children without clustering of cardiovascular risk factors, those with clustering had a smaller first trimester fetal crown to rump length and lower second and third trimester estimated fetal weight but higher weight growth from the age of 6 months onwards., Conclusions: Impaired first trimester fetal growth is associated with an adverse cardiovascular risk profile in school age children. Early fetal life might be a critical period for cardiovascular health in later life.

Background: In adults, low level of education was shown to be associated with higher blood pressure levels and alterations in cardiac structures and function. It is currently unknown whether socioeconomic inequalities in arterial and cardiac alterations originate in childhood. Therefore, we investigated the association of maternal education with blood pressure levels, arterial stiffness, and cardiac structures and function at the age of 6 years and potential underlying factors., Methods: The study included 5,843 children participating in a prospective cohort study in the Netherlands. Maternal education was assessed at enrollment. Blood pressure, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, left atrial diameter, aortic root diameter, left ventricular mass, and fractional shortening were measured at the age of 6 years., Results: Children with low educated (category 1) mothers had higher systolic (2.80mm Hg; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.62-2.94) and diastolic (1.80mm Hg; 95% CI = 1.25-2.35) blood pressure levels compared with children with high educated (category 4) mothers. The main explanatory factors were the child's body mass index (BMI), maternal BMI, and physical activity. Maternal education was negatively associated with fractional shortening (P trend = 0.008), to which blood pressure and child's BMI contributed the most. No socioeconomic gradient was observed in other arterial and cardiac measurements., Conclusions: Socioeconomic inequalities in blood pressure are already present in childhood. Higher fractional shortening among children from low socioeconomic families might be a first cardiac adaptation to higher blood pressure and higher BMI. Interventions should be aimed at lowering child BMI and increasing physical activity among children from low socioeconomic families.

Early-life nutrition may influence cardiovascular development. Not much is known about the associations between dietary composition and cardiovascular risk factors in childhood. We examined the associations of infant macronutrient intake with cardiovascular structures and function in 2882 children participating in a prospective, population-based cohort study. Information on macronutrient intake at the age of 14 mo was obtained from food-frequency questionnaires completed by a parent. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), fractional shortening, and left cardiac structures (left atrial diameter, aortic root diameter, and left ventricular mass) were measured at the age of 6 y. Linear regression analyses were performed by using energy-adjusted macronutrient intakes, adjusted for maternal, child, and other dietary factors. Higher total fat intake was associated with higher carotid-femoral PWV (P-trend = 0.03), whereas higher intakes of total carbohydrate and mono- and disaccharides were associated with lower carotid-femoral PWV. No consistent associations were observed for macronutrient intake with systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fractional shortening, and aortic root diameter. Higher intakes of total, saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fat were associated with lower left atrial diameter (all P-trend ≤ 0.01), and higher total carbohydrate and mono- and disaccharide intakes were associated with higher left atrial diameter (P-trend < 0.01 and 0.02, respectively). Furthermore, the third tertile of mono- and disaccharide intake was associated with a higher left ventricular mass (difference: 1.01 g; 95% CI: 0.18, 1.85 g; P = 0.02). Dietary macronutrient composition in infancy may lead to developmental differences in cardiovascular structures and function in childhood. Further studies are needed to investigate whether these differences have consequences for the risk of future cardiovascular disease.

Nutrition in infancy seems to be associated with cardiovascular disease and its risk factors in adulthood. These associations may be explained by cardiovascular developmental adaptations in childhood in response to specific infant feeding patterns. The aim of this study was to assess whether duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding and timing of introduction of solid foods affect cardiovascular development in childhood. In a population-based prospective cohort study from fetal life onward, information about duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding and timing of introduction of solid foods was obtained from delivery reports and questionnaires. Blood pressure, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), left atrial diameter (LAD), aortic root diameter (AOD), left ventricular (LV) mass, and fractional shortening (FS) were measured at a median age of 6.0 y (95% range: 5.6-7.4 y). Analyses were based on 5003 children. Age at introduction of solid foods was negatively associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure at the age of 6 y. Compared with children who had ever been breast-fed, never-breast-fed children had a higher carotid-femoral PWV (β: 0.13 m/s; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.24 m/s), a smaller LAD (β: -0.29 mm; 95% CI: -0.55, -0.03 mm), and less LV mass (β:-1.46 g; 95% CI: -2.41, -0.52 g) at the age of 6 y. Among breast-fed children, duration and exclusivity were not associated with cardiovascular structures or function. Breastfeeding pattern and age at introduction of solid foods were not associated with AOD or FS. Feeding patterns in infancy may influence cardiovascular development in childhood. Further research is required to replicate these findings and to investigate whether these changes contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in later life.

Suboptimal maternal dietary intake during pregnancy might lead to fetal cardiovascular adaptations and higher blood pressure in the offspring. The aim of the present study was to investigate the associations of maternal first-trimester dietary intake with blood pressure in children at the age of 6 years. We assessed first-trimester maternal daily dietary intake by a FFQ and measured folate, homocysteine and vitamin B₁₂ concentrations in the blood, in a population-based prospective cohort study among 2863 mothers and children. Childhood systolic and diastolic blood pressure was measured using a validated automatic sphygmomanometer. First-trimester maternal daily intake of energy, fat, protein and carbohydrate was not associated with childhood blood pressure. Furthermore, maternal intake of micronutrients was not associated with childhood blood pressure. Also, higher maternal vitamin B₁₂ concentrations were associated with a higher diastolic blood pressure (0·31 mmHg per standard deviation increase in vitamin B₁₂ (95% CI 0·06, 0·56)). After taking into account multiple testing, none of the associations was statistically significant. Maternal first-trimester folate and homocysteine concentrations were not associated with childhood blood pressure. The results from the present study suggest that maternal Fe intake and vitamin B₁₂ concentrations during the first trimester of pregnancy might affect childhood blood pressure, although the effect estimates were small and were not significant after correction for multiple testing. Further studies are needed to replicate these findings, to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and to assess whether these differences in blood pressure persist in later life.

Background: Foetal smoke exposure might lead to foetal developmental adaptations that permanently affect the cardiovascular system. We assessed the associations of both maternal and paternal smoking during pregnancy with childhood cardiovascular structures and function., Method: In a prospective cohort study among 5565 children, we examined whether maternal and paternal smoking during pregnancy are associated with blood pressure, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity and left cardiac structures and function in 6-year-old children., Results: As compared with children from non-smoking mothers, children from mothers who smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day had a higher diastolic blood pressure [difference 1.43 mmHg (95% confidence interval: 0.22, 2.63)]. Maternal smoking during pregnancy was not associated with systolic blood pressure, childhood carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity or left cardiac structures. Maternal smoking of 10 or more cigarettes per day was associated with a higher fractional shortening in childhood [difference 1.01% (95% confidence interval: 0.18, 1.84)]. Among mothers who did not smoke during pregnancy, paternal smoking was associated with aortic root diameter but not with other cardiovascular outcomes., Conclusions: Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with higher diastolic blood pressure and fractional shortening, although the effect estimates are small. The stronger effect estimates for maternal smoking compared with paternal smoking might suggest that direct intrauterine adaptive responses are involved as underlying mechanisms.

Background: Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy might lead to higher fetal cortisol exposure, which subsequently leads to fetal cardiovascular developmental adaptations and cardiovascular dysfunction in later life., Aims: We examined whether maternal and paternal psychological distress was associated with the cardiovascular outcome measurements in school age children., Study Design and Subjects: In a population-based prospective cohort study among 4831 children, we assessed maternal and paternal psychological distress during pregnancy by questionnaire, using the Brief Symptom Inventory (see Fig. 1)., Outcome Measures: At the child age of six years, we performed blood pressure and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity measurements, and M-mode measurements of left cardiac structures and fractional shortening., Results: We did not observe associations of high maternal and paternal psychological symptom scores with childhood blood pressure and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity after adjustment for potential confounders. Maternal overall psychological symptoms were associated with a lower childhood left ventricular mass (difference -1.10 g (95% confidence interval -2.13 to -0.07) between mothers with high scores and normal scores), but not with other cardiac structures and fractional shortening. Paternal overall psychological symptoms showed a similar association with childhood left ventricular mass (difference -1.34 grams (95% confidence interval -3.69 to 1.02) between fathers with high scores and normal scores)., Conclusions: Our results do not support the hypothesis that maternal psychological distress affects cardiovascular development in early life. Similar associations of maternal and paternal psychological distress with left ventricular mass suggest that these associations could be due to unmeasured social and environmental factors, rather than direct intra-uterine effects., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Fetal exposure to parental smoking may lead to developmental adaptations and promote various diseases in later life. This study evaluated the associations of parental smoking during pregnancy with the risk of hypertension in the daughter in adulthood, and assessed whether these associations are explained by birth weight or body weight throughout life. We used data on 33086 participants of the Nurses' Health Study II and the Nurses' Mothers' Cohort. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the associations of maternal and paternal smoking during pregnancy with the nurse daughter, with self-reported physician-diagnosed hypertension from 1989 until 2007. Overall, 8575 (25.9%) mothers and 18874 (57.0%) fathers smoked during pregnancy. During follow-up, 7825 incident cases of adult-onset hypertension were reported. Both maternal and paternal smoking of ≥ 15 cigarettes/d during pregnancy were associated with increased risks of hypertension (rate ratio, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.09-1.29; and rate ratio, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.12-1.25, respectively) in the age-adjusted models. Further adjustment for birth weight did not affect the effect estimates appreciably, whereas additional adjustment for body shape and weight until age 18, or current body mass index, attenuated the associations with both maternal and paternal smoking (rate ratio, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.98-1.16; and rate ratio, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.01-1.12, respectively). The associations of parental smoking during pregnancy with the risk of hypertension in the offspring were largely explained by body weight throughout life, suggesting that these associations may not reflect direct intrauterine mechanisms.

Objective: We sought to examine the associations of maternal C-reactive protein (CRP) levels with fetal growth and the risks of neonatal complications., Study Design: CRP levels were measured in early pregnancy in 6016 women. Main outcome measures were fetal growth in each trimester and neonatal complications., Results: As compared to the reference group (CRP levels<5 mg/L), elevated maternal CRP levels (≥25 mg/L) were associated with lower estimated fetal weight in third trimester and lower weight at birth (differences: -29 g, 95% confidence interval [CI], -58 to 0 and -128 g, 95% CI, -195 to -60, respectively). Elevated maternal CRP levels were also associated with an increased risk of a small size for gestational age in the offspring (adjusted odds ratio, 2.94; 95% CI, 1.61-5.36)., Conclusion: Maternal CRP levels in early pregnancy are associated with fetal growth restriction and increased risks of neonatal complications., (Copyright © 2011 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Cardiac structural adaptations in response to physical growth and obesity in older children have been identified and might have long-term consequences. We examined the associations of growth and obesity with cardiac structures during the first 2 years of life. In a population-based prospective cohort study among 974 children, left atrial diameter, left ventricular diastolic diameter, left ventricular mass, aortic root diameter, and fractional shortening were repeatedly measured by ultrasound at the ages of 1.5, 6, and 24 months. Height, weight, and subcutaneous fat mass were measured at the same visits, and blood pressure was measured at the age of 24 months. Height, weight, body mass index, and body surface area were positively associated with all of the cardiac structures during the first 2 years of life. At the age of 24 months, as compared with normal weight children, obese children had a greater left ventricular mass (1.04 SD score [95% CI: 0.20 to 1.89]) and a higher fractional shortening (0.91 SD score [95% CI: 0.02 to 1.80]). Nonsignificant tendencies were found for left atrial diameter, left ventricular diastolic diameter, and aortic root diameter. Our results suggest that normal variation in growth affects cardiac structures in early life. Overweight and obese children show cardiac adaptations already at the age of 2 years. Further studies are needed to assess whether these structural adaptations influence the risk of cardiovascular disease in later life.

Background: Shorter duration of breastfeeding in infancy has been suggested to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Early cardiovascular adaptations due to breastfeeding may explain these associations., Aim: To investigate whether breastfeeding affects left cardiac structures and blood pressure development in early childhood., Study Design: Prospective cohort study from fetal life until the age of two years., Subjects: Information about the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding was collected by questionnaires at the ages of 2, 6 and 12 months in 933 children., Outcome Measures: Left cardiac structures (left atrial diameter, aortic root diameter and left ventricular mass), fractional shortening and blood pressure at the ages of 1.5, 6 and 24 months., Results: No differences in cardiac structures, fractional shortening and blood pressure were observed between breastfed and non-breastfed children. Duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding were not consistently associated with any cardiac structure, fractional shortening, or blood pressure until the age of 24 months. Also, there was no association of breastfeeding with cardiac growth between 6 months and 24 months. All analyses were adjusted for child age and sex. Additional adjustment for child anthropometrics, maternal age, anthropometrics, family history, maternal cardiovascular risk factors, pregnancy or delivery complications, parity, socio-economic status, smoking status and alcohol consumption during pregnancy did not materially change the effect estimates., Conclusions: Our results do not support the hypothesis that early postnatal cardiovascular adaptations underlie the previously shown associations between breastfeeding and cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Further studies are needed to investigate whether and at what age the associations appear., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)