Association between the Great China Famine exposure in early life and risk of arthritis in adulthood

2018 ◽  
Vol 72 (9) ◽  
pp. 790-795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenghe Wang ◽  
Zhiyong Zou ◽  
Bin Dong ◽  
Jun Ma ◽  
Luke Arnold
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Elevated Risk ◽  
Exposed Group ◽  
Nutrition Intervention ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Famine Exposure ◽  
Stratified Analysis

BackgroundThe association between famine exposure in early life and risk of arthritis (combination of osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis) in adulthood is unclear. The aim of this study is to explore the association.MethodsA total of 4124 subjects were selected from the national data of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study in 2011–2012. Doctor-diagnosed arthritis was self-reported in participants’ questionnaire. Birthdates were used to categorise participants into famine-exposed and non-exposed groups. Logistic regression model was used to explore the association of famine exposure in early life with the risk of arthritis in adulthood.ResultsThe prevalence of arthritis in both infant-exposed and preschool-exposed groups was significantly higher than those in the non-exposed group (35.0% and 30.6% vs 27.3%; p<0.05). Compared with the non-exposed group, the infant-exposed group showed a significantly elevated risk of arthritis in adulthood after adjusting for confounding factors (OR=1.65; 95% CI 1.29 to 2.11; p<0.001). In the stratified analysis, we found that participants who lived in severely affected areas (OR=1.91; 95% CI 1.41 to 2.59; p<0.001), who are female (OR=2.21; 95% CI 1.57 to 3.11; p<0.001) and those with a body mass index ≥24.0 kg/m2 (OR=2.46; 95% CI 1.70 to 3.55; p<0.001) in the infant-exposed group had increased risk of arthritis in adulthood. Similar results were additionally observed when age-balanced control group was used.ConclusionGreat China Famine exposure in infancy may be associated with an elevated risk of arthritis in adulthood, particularly in women and participants with adiposity. These findings suggest nutrition intervention in infancy and weight control in later life may reduce the risk of arthritis in adulthood.

scholarly journals Exposure to the Great Famine in Early Life and the Risk of Obesity in Adulthood: A Report Based on the China Health and Nutrition Survey

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1285
Author(s):  
Huiru Jiang ◽  
Yongfu Yu ◽  
Leah Li ◽  
Wanghong Xu
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Central Obesity ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Exposed Group ◽  
Fetal Exposure ◽  
Nutrition Survey ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Famine Exposure ◽  
Stratified Analysis

Intrauterine malnutrition has a long-term effect on human health. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between exposure to famine in early life and obesity in adulthood in Chinese adults. A total of 5033 participants (22,132 observations) of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) in 1991–2015 were classified into three famine exposure groups according to their birth year: unexposed (1963–1966), fetal-exposed (1959–1962) and childhood-exposed (1955–1958). Compared with the unexposed group, the fetal-exposed group had higher levels of body-mass-index (BMI) and waist-circumference (WC), and higher prevalence of overweight and central obesity, whereas the childhood-exposed group had lower levels of the measurements. However, the positive associations of fetal exposure with BMI, WC and prevalence of overweight and central obesity were attenuated by additionally adjusting for age at survey. Stratified analysis showed that the adverse effect of fetal exposure to famine was only observed in subjects at several specific age-groups, and in men living in rural areas and in women living in more severe famine exposed areas (p for interaction < 0.05). Our results provide evidence for the weak effect of fetal exposure to famine on body measurements in adulthood, and suggest the importance of severity of famine exposure and timing of exposure.

scholarly journals The relationship between famine exposure in early life and ascending aorta dilatation in adulthood

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-qing HUANG ◽  
Lin LIU ◽  
Kenneth Lo ◽  
Yu-ling YU ◽  
Chao-lei CHEN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Ascending Aorta ◽  
Exposed Group ◽  
Late Childhood ◽  
Cardiac Ultrasound ◽  
Multivariate Logistic Regression ◽  
Famine Exposure ◽  
Aorta Dilatation ◽  
Stratified Analysis ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract BackgroundThe relationship between malnutrition and ascending aorta dilatation (AAD) is still unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the association of exposure to the Chinese famine during early life with AAD in adulthood.MethodsWe investigated data of 2598 adults born between 1952 and 1964 from Guangdong, China. All enrolled subjects were divided into five groups: no exposed, fetal exposed, early, mid and late childhood exposed. AAD was assessed by cardiac ultrasound. Multivariate logistic regression and interaction tests were used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and confidence interval (CI) between famine exposure and AAD.ResultsThere were 2598 (943 male, mean age 59.1 ± 3.65 years) participants were enrolled, among them consist of 270 (10.4%) subjects with AAD. Compared with no exposed group, the adjusted ORs for AAD widening from fetal-exposed, early, mid to late childhood exposed were 1.374 (95% CI: 0.794, 2.364, P = 0.251), 1.976 (95% CI: 1.243, 3.181, P = 0.004), 1.929 (95% CI: 1.237, 3.058, P = 0.004) and 2.227 (95% CI: 1.433, 3.524, P < 0.001), respectively. Stratified analysis showed that the effect of famine exposure on AAD was more pronounced in female, smokers, BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2 and hypertensive patients.ConclusionsWe observed that exposure to famine during early life was an independent risk factor for AAD in adulthood; this effect was not modified by gender, BMI, smoking, hypertension and diabetes.Yu-qing HUANG and Lin LIU are equally to this paper.

scholarly journals Famine Exposure in Early Life and Risk of Metabolic Syndrome in Adulthood: Comparisons of Different Metabolic Syndrome Definitions

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Ning ◽  
Jie Ren ◽  
Xin Song ◽  
Dong Zhang ◽  
Li Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Syndrome ◽  
Early Life ◽  
International Diabetes Federation ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Marginal Effect ◽  
Odds Ratios ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Famine Exposure ◽  
Adult Exposure

This study examined the association between famine exposure in early life and the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adulthood during the 1959–1961 Chinese Famine. Two cross-sectional surveys involving randomly selected Chinese adults aged 35–74 years in the Qingdao area were conducted. A total of 9,588 individuals were grouped into four birth cohorts of unexposed (born between January 1, 1962, and December 31, 1975), fetal-exposed (born between January 1, 1959, and December 31, 1961), childhood-exposed (born between January 1, 1949, and December 31, 1958), and adolescence/adult-exposed cohorts (born between January 1, 1931, and December 31, 1948). We assessed the prevalence rate of MetS in relation to famine exposure according to three definitions of MetS by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III), International Diabetes Federation (IDF), and China Diabetes Society (CDS). According to the CDS criterion, the prevalence rates of MetS were 17.8%, 25.7%, 31.1%, and 45.3% in the unexposed, fetal-, childhood-, and adolescence/adult-exposed cohorts, respectively (P<0.001). For the CDS criteria, compared with individuals without famine exposure, odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for MetS were 1.36 (1.02–1.81), 1.36 (1.06–1.75), and 1.60 (1.06–2.41) in women and 1.10 (0.79–1.53), 1.07 (0.79–1.42), and 1.21 (0.74–1.99) in men who were exposed in the fetal, childhood, and adolescence/adult periods, respectively, after adjustment for age, study cohorts, residential areas, education levels, income levels, current smoking, and current drinking. The same trend was observed in fetal and childhood exposure for the NCEP-ATP III and IDF definitions, except for a marginal effect in adolescence/adult exposure. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the odds ratios for MetS prevalence for the CDS definition were 1.37 (1.03–1.82), 1.40 (1.09–1.79), and 1.58 (1.04–2.40) among fetal, childhood, and adolescence/adult exposure in rural areas, respectively. The CDS definition is superior to the other definitions for determining the association between famine exposure and MetS with respect to early life. Famine exposure in early life is associated with an increased risk of MetS in later life, especially in women. Early-life malnutrition and later life overnutrition were critical in determining adulthood metabolic disorders.

Early-Life Exposure to the Chinese Famine and Risk of Hyperuricemia in Adult Females in Qingdao

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Yuhan Shao ◽  
Li Liu ◽  
Xiaojing Li ◽  
Jianping Sun ◽  
Xiaomei Huang
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Exposed Group ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Early Life Exposure ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Famine Exposure

Abstract Purpose: We aimed to explore whether exposure to the Chinese famine in early life was associated with hyperuricemia in adulthood. Methods and Results: Two population-based cross-sectional surveys involving randomly selected Chinese adults aged 35–74 years were conducted in Qingdao, China in 2006 and 2009. 9055 subjects from the two surveys were grouped into four birth groups of fetal/infant exposed(born between 1959/1/1 and 1962/12/31), childhood exposed(born between 1950/1/1 and 1958/12/31), adolescence exposed(born between 1942/1/1 and 1949/12/31) and the unexposed(born before 1941 and after 1963). Multivariate logistic regression models were used to calculate the odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of hyperuricemia in different exposed groups. Overall, famine exposure in the fetal/infant period, childhood and adolescence was not associated with adulthood hyperuricemia (all P>0.05). In females, childhood exposed group(OR=1.59, 95%CI:1.25-2.02) and adolescence exposed group(OR=1.74, 95%CI:1.30-2.33) both had higher risks to have hyperuricemia in adult. However, this difference was not found in fetal/infant exposed group. In males, no significant relation was observed in any famine exposed group (all P>0.05). Conclusions: Exposure to famine in childhood and adolescence is associated with an increased risk of hyperuricemia for adulthood of females, but not in males. Adequate nutrition during early life appears to be beneficial to prevent hyperuricemia of adult females.

scholarly journals Early-life famine exposure and rheumatoid arthritis in Chinese adult populations: a retrospective cohort study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. e043416
Author(s):  
Chunyu Liu ◽  
Xiangrui Meng ◽  
Hao Zhang ◽  
Fan Yang ◽  
Xiaoyu Pan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Retrospective Cohort Study ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Retrospective Cohort ◽  
Exposed Group ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Baseline Survey ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Famine Exposure

ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the association between famine exposure in early life and the odds of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adulthood.DesignA population-based retrospective cohort study.SettingChina.ParticipantsA total of 111 706 participants (1775 with RA) born from 1956 to 1964 were selected from the baseline survey of a large cohort in China.Primary and secondary outcome measuresFour famine exposure groups were generated based on dates of birth, namely prenatal-exposed, infant-exposed, preschool-exposed and non-exposed groups. Logistic regressions were used to explore the association between famine exposure and self-reported RA in adulthood, adjusting for sex, region, monthly income, highest education, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, body mass index (BMI) and metabolic equivalent tasks. Analyses were also performed with stratification for sex (female or male), residing region (urban or rural), famine severity (severe or non-severe) and BMI (≥24 or <24).ResultsThe study included 1775 (1.59%) RA cases and 109 931 (98.41%) non-RA controls. Among them, 22 413 (20.06%) were prenatal-exposed, 14 899 (13.34%) were infant-exposed and 34 356 (30.76%) were preschool-exposed. Prenatal exposure to famine was not associated with onset of RA in adulthood. Infant-exposed group and preschool-exposed group had significantly elevated odds of getting RA compared with non-exposed group (infant-exposed: OR=1.44, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.67; preschool-exposed: OR=1.38, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.57, p<0.001), and the relationship was stronger among women, urban residents and participants with BMI ≥24. Similar results were additionally observed when an age-balanced control group was used.ConclusionsExposure to the Great Chinese Famine in early life after birth especially in infancy may be associated with a higher risk of RA in adulthood. Strengthening early-life nutrition could be an implication to prevent future RA.

scholarly journals Association between early bronchiolitis and the development of childhood asthma: a meta-analysis

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. e043956
Author(s):  
Guizuo Wang ◽  
Dong Han ◽  
Zhengdong Jiang ◽  
Manxiang Li ◽  
Shumei Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Analysis Data ◽  
Fixed Effects Model ◽  
Case Control Studies ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Registration Number

ObjectiveEarly life bronchiolitis has been hypothesised to be associated with the subsequent risk of persistent wheezing or asthma. However, the link remains controversial. The objective of our study was to evaluate the association between bronchiolitis before 2 years of age and the late-onset wheezing/asthma.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.MethodsPubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases were systematically searched for studies published between 1955 and January 2020. Meanwhile, we also checked through the reference lists of relevant articles to see whether these references included reports of other studies that might be eligible for the review. Cohort and case–control studies assessing the association between early-life bronchiolitis and late-onset wheezing/asthma were included in this meta-analysis. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers. Results were pooled using a random-effects model or fixed-effects model according to the heterogeneity among studies.Results32 original articles with 292 844 participants, which met the criteria, were included in this meta-analysis. Bronchiolitis before 2 years of age was associated with an increased risk of subsequent wheezing/asthma (relative risk=2.46, 95% CI 2.14 to 2.82, p<0.001). After categorising studies into different groups based on age at the end of follow-up, geographical region and study quality, the association still remained significant.ConclusionsThe meta-analysis indicates an association between bronchiolitis before 2 years of age and the wheezing/asthma in later life. Well-designed and highly standardised prospective studies that better address bias due to potential confounding factors are needed to validate the risk identified in our meta-analysis.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018089453.

scholarly journals Epigenetics and DOHaD: from basics to birth and beyond

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 513-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Bianco-Miotto ◽  
J. M. Craig ◽  
Y. P. Gasser ◽  
S. J. van Dijk ◽  
S. E. Ozanne
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Metabolic Health ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Early Life Environment ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Early Life Exposures

Developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) is the study of how the early life environment can impact the risk of chronic diseases from childhood to adulthood and the mechanisms involved. Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNAs are involved in mediating how early life environment impacts later health. This review is a summary of the Epigenetics and DOHaD workshop held at the 2016 DOHaD Society of Australia and New Zealand Conference. Our extensive knowledge of how the early life environment impacts later risk for chronic disease would not have been possible without animal models. In this review we highlight some animal model examples that demonstrate how an adverse early life exposure results in epigenetic and gene expression changes that may contribute to increased risk of chronic disease later in life. Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease are chronic diseases with an increasing incidence due to the increased number of children and adults that are obese. Epigenetic changes such as DNA methylation have been shown to be associated with metabolic health measures and potentially predict future metabolic health status. Although more difficult to elucidate in humans, recent studies suggest that DNA methylation may be one of the epigenetic mechanisms that mediates the effects of early life exposures on later life risk of obesity and obesity related diseases. Finally, we discuss the role of the microbiome and how it is a new player in developmental programming and mediating early life exposures on later risk of chronic disease.

scholarly journals Early-Life Exposure to the Chinese Great Famine and Later Cardiovascular Diseases

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenghe Wang ◽  
Yanhui Dong ◽  
Rongbin Xu ◽  
Xijie Wang ◽  
Yanhui Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Diseases ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Matched Control ◽  
Longitudinal Survey ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Unexposed Group ◽  
Great Famine ◽  
Early Life Exposure ◽  
Exposed Infant ◽  
Famine Exposure

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the association between early life famine exposure and adulthood cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) risk.Methods: A total of 5,504 subjects were selected using their birthdate from national baseline data of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey to analyze the association between famine exposure in early life and CVDs risk in adulthood. CVDs was defined based on the self-reported doctor’s diagnosis.Results: The prevalence of CVDs in the unexposed group, fetal-exposed, infant-exposed, and preschool-exposed groups was 15.0%, 18.0%, 21.0%, and 18.3%, respectively. Compared with the unexposed group, fetal-exposed, infant-exposed and preschool-exposed groups had higher CVDs risk in adulthood (p &lt; 0.05). Compared with the age-matched control group, infancy exposed to famine had a significantly higher adulthood CVDs risk (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.15, 2.01; p = 0.006). The association seems to be stronger among population with higher education level (Pinteraction = 0.043). Sensitivity analysis revealed consistent association between early-life famine exposure and adult CVDs risk.Conclusion: Early life exposed to the China great famine may elevate the risk of CVDs in adulthood.

scholarly journals Association between early-life exposure to the Great Chinese Famine and poor physical function later in life: a cross-sectional study

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. e027450
Author(s):  
Tao Tao ◽  
Lingyan Dai ◽  
JinXiang Ma ◽  
Yusi Li ◽  
Zhuoyuan Guo
Keyword(s):  
Physical Function ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Exposed Group ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Postnatal Exposure ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Fetal Period ◽  
Early Life Exposure

ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the association between early-life exposure to the Great Chinese Famine (1959–1961) and the prevalence of poor physical function in midlife.DesignA population-based historical prospective study was performed as part of a wider cross-sectional survey. Exposure to famine was defined by birthdate, and participants were divided into non-exposed group, fetal-exposed group and infant-exposed group.Setting and participantsA total of 3595 subjects were enrolled into the study from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2015 based on random selection of households that had at least one member aged 45 years old and older in 28 provinces of mainland China.Main outcome measuresPhysical function status was assessed by a six-item self-report on the Barthel scale which rated basic activities of daily living (BADL).Results743 (20.7%) out of all participants were exposed to the Great Chinese Famine in their fetal periods, while 1550 (43.1%) participants were exposed at the age of an infant. The prevalence of poor physical function in the non-exposed group, fetal period-exposed group and infant period-exposed group were 12.3%, 15.5% and 17.0%, respectively. Among males, after stratification by gender and severity of famine, the prevalence of poor physical function in the fetal period was significantly higher (OR 2.40, 95% CI 1.18 to 4.89, p=0.015) than the non-exposed group in severely affected areas, even after adjusting for the number of chronic diseases, place of residence, smoking and alcohol drinking habits, marital status, educational level and body mass index. A similar connection between prenatal and early postnatal exposure to the Great Chinese Famine and the prevalence of poor physical function in midlife, however, was not observed from female adults.ConclusionsMales who were exposed to the Great Chinese Famine (1959–1961) present considerably decreased physical function in their later life.

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