Abstract P136: Association Of Undernutrition Severity With Development Of Incident Hypertension In Youth.

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death despite improved treatment, largely due to limitations in primordial prevention. Youth with chronic health conditions have higher risk of CVD and undernutrition, however it is unknown if undernutrition causes hypertension (HTN). Our goal was to investigate if undernutrition in youth is associated with incident HTN. Interim analysis of electronic health record data from a bioinformatics-driven retrospective cohort study. Inclusion criteria were ages 6 months - 18 years with a first occurrence of undernutrition by ICD-10 code, weight-for-height z-score <-2, or BMI z-score <-2 in outpatient clinic or inpatient hospital encounters between 2015-2022. Exclusion criteria were premature birth, low birth weight, or diagnosis of heart disease, liver disease, or chronic kidney disease at index date. We created a Kaplan Meier curve and log-rank test. Of 8,878 participants, 2,569 (58%) were males. We found that more severe undernutrition was associated with decreased risk of HTN. More severe undernutrition was associated with decreased risk of HTN. However, only first instances of blood pressure in HTN range were included. Ongoing steps include refining the undernutrition population, building a Cox regression model, and developing a matched control population to compare the risk of HTN to. Concurrently, we have an animal study to further assess the impact of undernutrition on HTN development. Determining if undernutrition is a causal risk factor for HTN, which often leads to additional serious and life-threatening illnesses, will allow for earlier screening and intervention to prevent clinical diagnoses later in life.