Does normal variation in birthweight confer susceptibility to health problems? A co-twin control study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5324/nje.v7i1.353Abstract
ABSTRACT
Population-based twin data were used to study whether normal variation in birthweight confers
disadvantage for a variety of health outcomes from birth through young adulthood. The sample consists of
5,864 identical and fraternal twins and includes 2,570 intact pairs. Variation in birthweight may be
associated with an increased risk for epilepsy in males and with refractive disorders, chronic ear infections
and intestinal problems in women. Two variants of the co-twin control design, based on identical twins
only, were used to control for genetic and shared environmental effects that influence both birthweight and
the health outcome. Results indicated that the prevalence of health outcomes was not greater among the
lighter twin from birthweight discordant pairs. Furthermore, intra-pair differences in birthweight between
members of pairs who were health-discordant were significant only for nearsightedness among the MZ
males. Due to lack of statistical power these results should be interpreted with caution.
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