Persistent high blood pressure and renal dysfunction in preterm infants during childhood

Background Infants born very preterm (≤32 weeks gestational age, GA) and very-low birth weight (≤1500 g; PT-VLBW) demonstrate high systolic blood pressure (SBP), renal dysfunction, and obesity at 6 months–3 years and in early adulthood. Their parallel measurement and progression during childhood is unclear. Methods We reenrolled 62/120 patients originally seen at 1–3 years at 10–13 years and remeasured anthropometric indices, SBP, and serum creatinine (Cr) and cystatin C (cysC) to determine estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). We selected Term-matched Controls at 10–13 years from the 2015–2016 NHANES database at a ratio of 2 Controls :1 Case (124:62). Results Reenrolled patients were predominantly Hispanic, birth weight 1073 ± 251 g, and GA at birth 28 ± 2 weeks. At 10–13 years, 45% were classified overweight/obese, 48% had SBP ≥ 90th centile (77% considered hypertensive), and 34% had low eGFR (