Length of gestation is associated with mortality from cerebrovascular disease.

PARTICIPANTS, METHODS, AND RESULTS In a cohort of 14 193 men and women born in Uppsala in 1915–1929, we studied the associations of fetal growth rate and length of gestation with the risk of death from ischaemic heart disease (ICD 7: 420–422; 8 and 9: 410–414; 10: I20–25) and cerebrovascular disease (ICD 7: 330–334; 8 and 9: 430– 438, 10: I60–69). Occlusive strokes include ICD7: 332–334, ICD8: 432–436, ICD9: 433–436 and ICD10: I63–66. Data on deaths and emigrations were obtained by linkage to the population and death registers. Socioeconomic circumstances at birth and neonatal characteristics, including gestational age (based on last menstrual period), were available for 96% of the subjects from hospital records. Data on social circumstances in adulthood included subjects’ own social group, education, marital status, and household car ownership from 1960 census and were available for 96% of the 12 346 men and women who lived in Sweden in 1960. Sex specific z scores of birth weight for each week of gestation were calculated using the cohort as a reference. The hypothesised independent effects of fetal growth rate and length of gestation were studied by combining the z scores for birth weight for gestational age with the length of gestation in the same model. Analyses were restricted to singletons born at 30 or more completed weeks of gestation and 11 474 men and women were included in the multivariate analyses. Each participant