Abstract 126: Blood Pressure in Childhood Predicts HTN in Adulthood: The International CV Cohorts Consortium

Abstract

The natural history of blood pressure (BP) tracking from childhood to adulthood is not well defined. Using data from the International Childhood CV Cohorts Consortium, consisting of 7 international longitudinal cohorts, participants (N=5042) were evaluated by self-reported adult hypertension (HTN). Correlation between mean of all measures of BP on a subject during childhood (8-11 years) or adolescence (15-18 years) and adult BP (28-31 years) was evaluated with Spearman correlation coefficients. Differences in mean BP, body mass index (BMI) and laboratory values were evaluated by t-tests. Participants at time of self-report of HTN were mean age 48.5 years (81.7% white, 17.4% black; 39% male). Prevalence of HTN (N=1562) was 31%; 3480 were normotensive (NT). Correlations between child and adolescent SBP and DBP were r=0.43, 0.42, respectively, child and young adult r=0.24, 0.23 and adolescent and young adult r=0.41, 0.27 (all p<0.0001). Participants self-reporting HTN were more likely to be non-white (46.8% black, 30.2% white, 29.7% other, p<0.0001). Males were more likely to report HTN (33% vs 28% females, p<0.0001). They had significantly higher SBP and BMI as children and adolescents and also significantly higher DBP and fasting glucose by adolescence and lower HDL and higher TG by young adulthood (all p<0.01). We conclude that adult HTN begins in childhood with higher BP and BMI which appear to be important clinical markers for progressive increases in metabolic risk factors as these individuals age through adolescence and young adulthood.