COMMON CONGENITAL BIRTH DEFECT CAN LEAD TO INCREASED RISK OF HEART DISEASE IN LATER LIFE

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COMMON CONGENITAL BIRTH DEFECT CAN LEAD TO INCREASED RISK OF HEART DISEASE IN LATER LIFE
28 March 2007 - University of Bristol

A collaboration between scientists and surgeons at Bristol University and the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children have revealed that a common congenital birth defect affecting the heart and blood pressure, which can be corrected by surgery, dramatically increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in later life due to changes within the nervous system.

One of the most common heart birth defects in babies is a severe constriction of the major artery from the heart, called the aorta. This condition is known as coarctation of the aorta. This puts enormous strain on the heart and causes high blood pressure.

It had been assumed that by performing corrective surgery shortly after birth, to release the constriction, all symptoms of cardiovascular disease are cured. However, this is now known not to be the case. Patients with repaired coarctation are five to six times more likely to develop high blood pressure in later life, putting them at increased risk of stroke, kidney failure and heart disease.

The reason why these patients develop high blood pressure was unclear. However, a study led by Professor Andrew Wolf at Bristol University, published this week in Circulation, has discovered that infants with coarctation of the aorta prior to corrective surgery already have changes in the nervous control of their hearts and blood vessels. These changes are similar to those found in adults with high blood pressure.

Normally healthy babies display fluctuations in heart rate with breathing but in infants with coarctation this was reduced or absent. This symptom is a prognostic indicator of cardiovascular disease in adults. The infant patients also exhibited very poor control of their blood pressure, which is regulated by the brain. Again, such harmful alterations are known to contribute to high blood pressure.

Andrew Wolf, visiting Professor at Bristol University, said: “What causes these changes in the nervous system in babies with coarctation remains unknown. However, our study will hopefully redirect medical treatment towards considering the nervous system and its influence on blood pressure and heart rate. By taking into account interventions to the nervous system, a true cure for this disease may finally be found.”

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About: University of Bristol
The University College of Bristol opened in 1876, after six years of discussions and controversy, in a bid to bring university culture to the provinces. It was the first college in the country to admit men and women on an equal footing.

The University’s Research and Enterprise Development (RED) division was launched in 2000 to stimulate and support an entrepreneurial culture and encourage the growth of technology-based business.

2003 saw the completion of the Dorothy Hodgkin building, named after the University’s fifth Chancellor. The £18 million building is dedicated to research in neuroendocrinology. 2003 also saw the opening of the University’s £5 million Centre for Sport, Exercise and Health.

Work on a new, state-of-the-art engineering building is due to be completed in early 2004. The £20 million BLADE project (Bristol Laboratory for Advanced Dynamics Engineering) will bring together the Engineering Faculty’s six departments to establish Europe’s most advanced dynamics engineering research facilities.

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