PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Elizabeth Bayman
AU  - Amanda J Drake
AU  - Chinthika Piyasena
TI  - Prematurity and programming of cardiovascular disease risk: a future challenge for public health?
AID  - 10.1136/archdischild-2014-306742
DP  - 2014 Nov 01
TA  - Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition
PG  - F510--F514
VI  - 99
IP  - 6
4099  - http://fn.bmj.com/content/99/6/F510.short
4100  - http://fn.bmj.com/content/99/6/F510.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed2014 Nov 01; 99
AB  - There is substantial epidemiological evidence linking low birth weight with adult cardiometabolic disease risk factors. This has led to the concept of ‘early life programming’ or the ‘developmental origins of disease’ which proposes that exposure to adverse conditions during critical stages of early development results in compensatory mechanisms predicted to aid survival. There is growing evidence that preterm infants, many of whom are of low birth weight, are also at increased risk of adult cardiometabolic disease. In this article, we provide a broad overview of the evidence linking preterm birth and cardiovascular disease risk and discuss potential consequences for public health.