Birth weight and coronary artery disease. The effect of gender and diabetes

The developmental origin theory of coronary heart disease proposes that undernutrition in utero permanently changes body functions and metabolism leading to an increased risk of coronary artery diseases (CAD) in adult life. Some studies support this theory but others suggest that birth weight (BW) is not a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Gender differences concerning the association between BW and risk factors for CAD have been reported in some studies but not in others.In this paper we have analyzed the effect of gender and diabetes on the relationship between BW and CAD in the White population of Rome