Association
between birth weight and late life
depression
A
low weight at birth is a risk factor for heart
disease, hypertension, diabetes and stroke.
There is an association between depression and
these diseases. A study examined the link
between low birth weight and depression. Birth
records of 882 male individuals born at
full-term in the 1920s were consulted and their
weight at birth and at age of 1 year noted. At
68 years old, study volunteers completed the
Geriatric Depression Scale and the Geriatric
Mental State Examination. The persons weighing
less than 6.5 pounds at birth were three to four
times more likely to develop depression than
infants weighing more than 8.5 pounds at birth.
Those who weighed 7.5 to 8.5 pounds were 2.8
times as likely to be depressed. Therefore it
seems that the probability of experiencing
depression at 68 years old decreased with
increasing birth weight, suggesting that foetal
undernutrition may predispose men to depression
in late adult life. If these findings are
confirmed it suggests a neurodevelopmental
aetiology of depression. Br
J Psychiatry 179: 450-455, 2001