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 < 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 Consequences of early life exposure to the 1983–1985 Ethiopian Great Famine on cognitive function in adults: a historical cohort study

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. e038977
Author(s):  
Getachew Arage ◽  
Tefera Belachew ◽  
Mubarek Abera ◽  
Fedilu Abdulhay ◽  
Misra Abdulahi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Function Score ◽  
Historical Cohort ◽  
Great Famine ◽  
Historical Cohort Study ◽  
Early Life Exposure ◽  
Famine Exposure ◽  
Cognitive Function Score

ObjectivesTo investigate the association between early life famine exposure and cognitive function in adults.DesignHistorical cohort studySettingNorth Wollo Zone, Northeast Ethiopia.ParticipantsWe recruited 1047 adult men and women aged 30–38 years who had history of early life exposure to Ethiopian great famine. Based on self-reported age and birth date, participants were categorised into famine exposed in early life (prenatal/postnatal) and non-exposed groups.Outcome measuresThe primary outcome measure of this study was cognitive function in adults after early life exposure to famine. Cognitive function was measured using Montreal Cognitive Assessment—basic. Associations between exposure and outcome variables were examined by linear regression analysis models.ResultsAdjusted for covariates, early life exposure to famine showed 1.29 (β=−1.29; 95% CI −2.16 to -0.52) points lower cognitive function score compared with non-exposed. Based on subanalysis for timing of famine exposure, postnatal exposure to famine resulted in 2.26 (β=−2.26; 95% CI −3.12 to -1.36) points lower cognitive function score compared with non-exposed groups. Prenatal famine exposure had 1.26 (β=−1.26; 95% CI −2.35 to 0.94) points lower cognitive function score although not statistically significant.ConclusionsFamine exposure in early life was associated with cognitive functions in adults. While the overall findings highlight the importance of optimal nutrition in early life for brain growth and development, the association observed between postnatal famine exposure and adult cognitive function may indicate the relative importance of learning and experience during early childhood for optimal brain development after birth. Further studies are needed to elucidate the potential mechanism behind this association.

scholarly journals Early-life exposure to severe famine and subsequent risk of depressive symptoms in late adulthood: the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 213 (4) ◽  
pp. 579-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changwei Li ◽  
Toni Miles ◽  
Luqi Shen ◽  
Ye Shen ◽  
Tingting Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Poisson Regression ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Critical Time ◽  
Symptom Burden ◽  
Late Adulthood ◽  
Great Famine ◽  
Famine Exposure

BackgroundThe Chinese Great Famine caused widespread starvation in 1959–1961. Its long-term association with depressive symptoms has not been studied.AimsTo estimate the burden of depressive symptoms and the association of famine exposure with depressive symptoms.MethodThe China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study is a nationwide representative survey of 17 708 Chinese adults aged ≥45. Propensity score matching and modified Poisson regression were used to evaluate the association between self-reported famine exposure in early life and depressive symptoms among the overall participants. Such associations were also assessed by developmental stage using modified Poisson regression and logistic regression.ResultsThe prevalence of depressive symptoms was 26.2% (95% CI 25.1–27.3%) in 2011. As defined by loss of family members because of starvation, 11.6% (95% CI 10.1–13.1%) of this population experienced severe famine. When compared with participants who did not experience starvation, those who had experienced severe famine during fetal, mid-childhood, young-teenage and early-adulthood stages had 1.87 (95% CI 1.36–2.55), 1.54 (95% CI 1.23–1.94), 1.47 (95% CI 1.09–2.00) and 1.77 (95% CI 1.42–2.21) times higher odds of having depressive symptoms in late adulthood, respectively. The first two trimesters of pregnancy were a critical time window during the fetal stage when severe famine had a stronger association with depressive symptoms. Famine during infant, toddler, preschool or teenage stages was not associated with depressive symptoms. Overall, famine contributed to 13.6% of the depressive symptom burden in this population.ConclusionsThe Chinese Great Famine contributed substantially to the burden of depressive symptoms in China.Declaration of interestNone.

scholarly journals Early-life exposure to humidifier disinfectant determines the prognosis of lung function in children

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun-Ju Cho ◽  
So Yeon Lee ◽  
Donguk Park ◽  
Seung-Hun Ryu ◽  
Jisun Yoon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lung Function ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Inhalation Exposure ◽  
Forced Expiratory Volume ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Longitudinal Assessment ◽  
Initial Exposure ◽  
Early Life Exposure ◽  
Long Term Prognosis ◽  
First Year Of Life

Abstract Background Use of humidifier disinfectants (HD) at home leads to chemical airborne exposure, causing HD associated lung injury (HDLI) with high mortality. However, the lung function in children diagnosed with HDLI is not well studied. We investigated the effect of HD exposure on lung function, prognosis, and exposure characteristics associated with the lung function phenotype in children. Methods Eighty-one children diagnosed with HDLI in a nationwide cohort were tested for spirometry and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLco) from July 2013 and followed up with at five time points over 2 years. The results were compared with 122 children without HD exposure as controls. Home investigation and questionnaire analysis were conducted to assess HD inhalation exposure. Results HDLI survivor’s mean percent of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and corrected DLco were significantly lower compared with the control group. On longitudinal assessment, FVC was within the normal range, but flattened, and spirometry showed a predominantly restrictive pattern. Corrected DLco did not normalize above 80% despite increasing age. The persistently low phenotype of lung function was associated with initial exposure age, especially less than 12 months of age. Higher density HD exposure during sleep and close distance between the bed and the humidifier were significantly associated with persistently low corrected DLco. Conclusions HD exposure affects prolonged decrement in lung function, especially DLco, particularly among children who are exposed within the first year of life. These results suggested that early-life HD exposure determines long-term prognosis of lung function in children.

scholarly journals Exposure to Chinese famine in early life and the risk of sensory impairment in adulthood

2020 ◽  
pp. jech-2020-213775
Author(s):  
Hongguo Rong ◽  
Xiaozhen Lai ◽  
Elham Mahmoudi ◽  
Hai Fang
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Late Childhood ◽  
Sensory Impairment ◽  
Fetal Period ◽  
Unexposed Group ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
Sensory Impairments ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Famine Exposure ◽  
The Relationship

BackgroundStudies have shown that malnutrition in early life has a negative effect on midlife cognitive functions. Little is known, however, about the relationship between early-life malnutrition and visual, hearing or dual sensory impairments in adulthood. This study aims to investigate the association between exposure to the 1959–1961 Chinese famine in early life and sensory impairments in adulthood.MethodsA total of 6347 adults born between 1952 and 1964 surveyed in the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were included in this study. The presence of sensory impairments was identified by self-reported assessment of visual and hearing functions. The associations between multi-stage early-life famine exposure and sensory functions were estimated using the multiple generalised linear model.ResultsCompared with the unexposed group, respondents exposed to famine in the fetal period and late childhood had a significantly higher risk of hearing impairment (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.06 to 2.24; OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.23 to 2.50) and dual sensory impairments (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.00 to 2.11; OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.09 to 2.21), respectively. Furthermore, in severely famine-affected areas, the early, mid and late childhood-exposed groups were more likely to have hearing and dual sensory impairments than the unexposed group. Those associations were not observed in less famine-affected areas. However, no significant association was found between famine exposure and visual impairment in early-life famine-exposed group.ConclusionExposure to Chinese famine in the fetal period and late childhood was linked to hearing and dual sensory impairments in adulthood.

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 Early-Life Exposure to Famine and Risk of MetabolicAssociated Fatty Liver Disease in Chinese Adults

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 4063
Author(s):  
Jing Liu ◽  
Guimin Wang ◽  
Yiling Wu ◽  
Ying Guan ◽  
Zhen Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Liver Disease ◽  
Fatty Liver ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Fatty Liver Disease ◽  
Chinese Adults ◽  
Early Life Exposure ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Famine Exposure

Background: Early-life exposure to the Chinese famine has been related to the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease later in life. Nevertheless, the long-term impact of famine exposure on metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), a recently proposed term to describe liver disease associated with known metabolic dysfunction, remains unknown. The aim of our study was to explore the relationship between early famine exposure and MAFLD in adulthood. Methods: A total of 26,821 participants (10,994 men, 15,827 women) were recruited from a cohort study of Chinese adults in Shanghai. We categorized participants into four famine exposure subgroups based on the birth year as nonexposed (1963–1967), fetal-exposed (1959–1962), childhood-exposed (1949–1958), and adolescence-exposed (1941–1948). MAFLD was defined as liver steatosis detected by ultrasound plus one of the following three criteria: overweight/obesity, type 2 diabetes, or evidence of metabolic dysregulation. Multivariable logistic regression models were performed to examine the association between famine exposure and MAFLD. Results: The mean ± standard deviation age of the participants was 60.8 ± 6.8 years. The age-adjusted prevalence of MAFLD was 38.3, 40.8, 40.1, and 36.5% for the nonexposed, fetal-exposed, childhood-exposed, and adolescence-exposed subgroups, respectively. Compared with nonexposed participants, fetal-exposed participants showed an increased risk of adulthood MAFLD (OR = 1.10, 95% CI 1.00–1.21). The significant association between fetal famine exposure and MAFLD was observed in women (OR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.08–1.37), but not in men (OR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.75–1.03). In age-balanced analyses combining pre-famine and post-famine births as the reference, women exposed to famine in the fetal stage still had an increased risk of MAFLD (OR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.05–1.26). Conclusions: Prenatal exposure to famine showed a sex-specific association with the risk of MAFLD in adulthood.

scholarly journals Early-life exposure to the Chinese famine of 1959–61 and risk of Hyperuricemia: results from the China health and retirement longitudinal study

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenqiang Zhang ◽  
Rongsheng Luan
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Uric Acid ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Serum Uric Acid ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Early Life Exposure ◽  
Long Term Effect ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Famine Exposure

Abstract Background Short-term starvation has been related to hyperuricemia. However, little is known about the long-term effect of early-life exposure to famine on hyperuricemia risk in adulthood. Methods The analysis included 2383 participants from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study in 2015. Hyperuricemia was diagnosed as serum uric acid ≥7 mg/dL in men and serum uric acid ≥6 mg/dL in women. Famine exposure subgroups were defined as unexposed (born between October 1, 1962, and September 30, 1964), fetal-exposed (born between October 1, 1959, and September 30, 1961), and early-childhood exposed (born between October 1, 1956, and September 1, 1958). The association between early-life famine exposure and hyperuricemia risk was assessed using multivariate logistic regression. Results The prevalence of hyperuricemia in the unexposed, fetal-exposed, and early-childhood exposed participants was 10.7, 14.1, 11.1%, respectively. Compared with unexposed and early-childhood exposed participants combined as an age-balanced control, fetal-exposed participants showed an increased risk of hyperuricemia in adulthood (OR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.06–1.88), after adjusting for gender, marital status, famine severity, residence, smoking, drinking, BMI, hypertension, and diabetes. The famine effect on hyperuricemia was accentuated by overweight or obesity (P for interaction = 0.042). Compared with unexposed and BMI < 24 kg/m2 participants, the OR (95%CI) of hyperuricemia was 3.66 (2.13–6.30) for fetal-exposed and overweight/obesity participants. However, combined unexposed and early-childhood exposed participants as an age-balanced control, the interaction of famine exposure and BMI was not statistically significant (P for interaction = 0.054). Conclusion Famine exposure in the fetal stage was associated with an increased risk of hyperuricemia in adulthood.

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.

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