Background: By adulthood, low birth weight infants have an increased risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD). The extent to which objective CKD risk factors are present at earlier ages is unclear.
Methods: We analyzed 5352 participants aged 12-15 years in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2012. Participants were classified as low birth weight (LBW; < 2500 g), very low birth weight (VLBW; < 1500 g), or normal (2500-4000 g) by parental/proxy recall. Albuminuria (albumin/creatinine 30 - <300 mg/g), decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; < 90 ml/min/1.73 m(2); Counahan-Barratt), and elevated systolic blood pressure (BP; ≥ 95th percentile for age, height, and sex) were considered CKD risk factors.
Results: While albuminuria did not vary by birth weight, elevated blood pressure (BP) and decreased eGFR occurred more frequently in LBW/VLBW adolescents (elevated BP: LBW 6.0 %, VLBW 11.2 %, normal 2.4 %; decreased eGFR: LBW 23.2 %, VLBW 32.5 %, normal 16.1 %). After multivariable adjustment, LBW/VLBW adolescents had greater odds for both elevated BP (LBW: OR 2.90, 95 % CI 1.48-5.71; VLBW: 5.23; 1.11-24.74) and decreased eGFR (LBW: 1.49, 95 % CI 1.06-2.10; VLBW 2.49, 95 % CI 1.20-5.18).
Conclusions: In the U.S. population, both decreased eGFR and elevated systolic BP occur frequently among adolescents with history of LBW/VLBW.
Keywords: Hypertension; Infant, premature; Kidney function tests; Low birth weight; NHANES; Screening.