Objective: Short telomeres are associated with adult cardiovascular disease. Our aim was to determine whether small-for-gestational-age (SGA) newborns have shortened telomeres compared with appropriately grown controls.
Design: Prospective cohort study.
Setting: Large tertiary referral unit in Trent, UK.
Population: Seventy-two women who delivered at 35-42 weeks of gestation were recruited; 34 delivered SGA babies (less than or equal to the third birthweight centile) and 38 had appropriately grown babies (greater than the tenth centile).
Methods: Maternal and cord blood samples were collected at delivery. A Southern blot of DNA from these samples was hybridised with a 32P-labelled telomeric probe and telomere length was measured.
Main outcome measures: Mean maternal and newborn telomere length.
Results: Maternal and newborn telomere lengths were significantly correlated in both the SGA and the control groups (r2 = 0.25, P < 0.0001). Telomere lengths were similar in both maternal (control 8.41 +/- 0.9 kb versus SGA 8.29 +/- 1.0 kb, P = 0.57) and newborn (control 10.36 +/- 1.5 kb versus SGA 10.33 +/- 1.3 kb, P = 0.93) cohorts in the two groups.
Conclusions: Intrauterine events associated with impaired fetal growth do not appear to be associated with increased telomere shortening.