Arterial blood pressure in schoolchildren, who were born after caesarian section

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the blood pressure characteristics of school-age children, who were born by caesarean section. Materials and Methods . 75 school-age children ages from 12 till 16 years were investigated. They were hospitalized in the pediatric department with a diagnosis of vegetative dysfunction and with complaints of periodic increase in blood pressure. Patients were divided into two groups. The first group included 47 children, who were born by the usual way – vaginal delivery. The second group included 28 children, who were born by caesarean section. All children were investigated by 24-hour blood pressure monitoring. The daily, day and night mean values of systolic and diastolic blood pressure were studied. The normal limit values for 50, 90 and 95 percentiles relative to height, age, gender were calculated for every child individually. The indices of physical development – weight, height, BMI were assessed. Results. The mean indices of daily (p = 0.03) and day (p = 0.013) systolic blood pressure exceeding 90 centiles has been observed more frequently in the group of children born by caesarean section. The value of night systolic blood pressure exceeded 50 centiles more often among children from the 2 group (p = 0.016). The level of night systolic (6.06 ± 1.27 %) and diastolic (7.89 ± 1.58 %) pressure decreasing in children who were born by cesarean section was significantly lower than in children who were born by usual way. Odds ratio of 4.28 (p = 0.01) showed the influence of the birth by cesarean section on overweight, and on daily systolic blood pressure increasing (4.27; p = 0.02). Effect of breastfeeding duration of less than 6 months on daily systolic blood pressure exceeding 50 centiles (4.59; p = 0.01) has been found. Conclusions. Birth by caesarean section led to a greater frequency of exceeding the systolic blood pressure according to its daily monitoring in adolescents with symptoms of vegetative dysfunction, as well as a lower level of night blood pressure decreasing. Overweight and short duration of breastfeeding may have been the factors that caused blood pressure changes in examined children.