High Blood Pressure In Children Research Articles

Effectiveness of a body shape index in predicting pediatric high blood pressure.

A body shape index (ABSI) is an emerging anthropometric indicator, challenging two traditional parameters: body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). We aimed to systematically compare and validate the capability of anthropometric indicators for determining pediatric high blood pressure (HBP). A total of 3150 participants aged 7-17 years were enrolled from Suzhou, China. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were obtained to evaluate the performance of anthropometric indicators in detecting HBP. DeLong's test was used to examine whether the AUCs of anthropometric indicators in contrast to BMI or original ABSI were statistically different. Furthermore, a meta-analysis was performed to combine results from this study and five similar articles from databases. In Suzhou population, BMI exhibited the largest AUC (AUC = 0.705), followed by WC (AUC = 0.669) and original ABSI (AUC = 0.514). Modified ABSI (AUC: 0.537-0.681), although had slightly better performance than original ABSI, was still less valuable than BMI (P < 0.05), either in the total sample or in boys. The meta-analysis with 21108 children and adolescents subsequently confirms the results derived from Suzhou population. In predicting pediatric HBP, original ABSI and modified ABSI underperform BMI and WC. The current study is the first to evaluate whether original ABSI or modified ABSI is comparable to BMI and WC for screening HBP in children and adolescents. In predicting pediatric HBP, original ABSI and modified ABSI do not perform as well as traditional anthropometric indicators, such as BMI and WC. BMI remains the optimal indicator in pediatric HBP screening. This study provides a theoretical basis for the early identification of HBP in children and adolescents by adopting effective predictors.

Pediatrician Adherence to Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of High Blood Pressure

To assess pediatrician adherence to the 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics' clinical practice guideline for high blood pressure (BP). Pediatric primary care practices (n=59) participating in a quality improvement collaborative submitted data for patients with high BP measured between November 2018 and January 2019. Baseline data included patient demographics, BP, body mass index (BMI), and actions taken. Logistic regression was used to test associations between patient BP level and BMI with provider adherence to guidelines (BP measurement, counseling, follow-up, evaluation). A total of 2677 patient charts were entered for analysis. Only 2% of patients had all BP measurement steps completed correctly, with fewer undergoing 3-limb and ambulatory BP measurement. Overall, 46% of patients received appropriate weight, nutrition, and lifestyle counseling. Follow-up for high BP was recommended or scheduled in 10% of encounters, and scheduled at the appropriate interval in 5%. For patients presenting with their third high BP measurement, 10% had an appropriate diagnosis documented, 2% had appropriate screening laboratory tests conducted, and none had a renal ultrasound performed. BMI was independently associated with increased odds of counseling, but higher BP was associated with lower odds of counseling. Higher BP was independently associated with an increased likelihood of documentation of hypertension. In this multisite study, adherence to the 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics' guideline for high BP was low. Given the long-term health implications of high BP in childhood, it is important to improve primary care provider recognition and management. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03783650.

Incidence and correlates of high blood pressure from childhood to adulthood: the Birth to Twenty study.

Background:There is growing evidence from high-income countries suggesting that hypertension developed in childhood and adolescence persists into adulthood. The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence and risk factors of high blood pressure (BP) in urban black children.Methods:We used data from the Birth to Twenty (BT20+) cohort in Johannesburg, South Africa constituting of children born in 1990 and who had their growth, development and blood pressure measured at six follow-up periods over the course of 13 years. High BP was classified as at least 95th percentile for age, sex and height. Incidence rate of high BP was calculated using survival analysis and risk factors were determined by use of Cox proportional hazard regression.Results:Over a follow-up period of 13 years, the overall incidence rate of high BP was 57 cases per 1000 person-years (95% CI 53.2–61.1). Risk for incident high BP increased with rapid relative weight gain in early childhood (hazard ratio =1.11, 95% CI 1.00–1.22), mid-childhood (hazard ratio = 1.13, 95% CI 1.03–1.24) and adolescence (hazard ratio = 1.21, 95% CI 0.99–1.47). Maternal parity significantly increased the risk for incident high BP (hazard ratio = 1.08, 95% CI 1.01–1.15).Conclusion:Maternal parity and relative weight gain were determinants for incident high blood pressure in urban black South African children and adolescents. To reduce the high incidence and the disease burden of high BP, national programs should focus on promoting healthy lifestyle in early stages of life to prevent rapid weight gain and later cardiovascular disease risk. Further research is required to investigate whether incident high BP in childhood predict clinical outcomes in adulthood.

Prenatal Metal Mixtures and Child Blood Pressure in the Rhea Mother-Child Cohort

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Blood pressure (BP) in childhood is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease in adulthood. {In utero} exposure to metals has been associated with higher BP in childhood. However, most studies have evaluated elements individually and measured BP at a single time point. The objective of the current study was to investigate the impact of a complex mixture of metals on child BP trajectories and elevated BP at age 11. METHODS: The current study included 176 mother-child pairs from the Rhea Study in Heraklion, Greece who had three BP measurements in childhood (at ages 4, 6, and 11). We focused on eight metals (antimony, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, lead, magnesium, molybdenum, selenium), which were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in maternal urine samples collected during pregnancy (median gestational age at collection: 12 weeks). Covariate-adjusted Bayesian Varying Coefficient Kernel Machine Regression and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression were used to simultaneously evaluate these eight metals in relation to the change in BP from age 4 to 11 and elevated BP at age 11, respectively. RESULTS:J-shaped associations were observed between molybdenum and both systolic and diastolic BP at age 4. Similar associations were identified for both molybdenum and lead in relation to elevated BP at age 11. Positive associations between molybdenum and BP at age 4 (for concentrations 40-80 μg/L) were stronger at high levels of lead. Lead was positively associated with BP measures at age 4, but only at high levels of molybdenum. CONCLUSIONS:Co-exposure to high levels of molybdenum and lead during the prenatal period may contribute to increased BP at age 4, which in turn may contribute to elevated BP in adolescence. KEYWORDS: Metals, mixtures, blood pressure, childhood, BKMR, BVCKMR

High blood pressure in children and adolescents from urban peripheral areas of La Plata, Argentina

Objective: The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of high blood pressure in schoolchildren aged 4-14 years from urban peripheral areas of the city of La Plata, and analyze variations in high blood pressure prevalence by sex, age, excess weight and family socioeconomic status. Materials and methods: Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body weight and height were measured in 3,312 schoolchildren of both sexes. The prevalence of high blood pressure (HBP), overweight and obesity was calculated. Socioeconomic information was obtained through a semi-structured survey and processed by categorical principal-component analysis. The prevalence of HBP was compared with sex, age and nutritional status (chi square test) and family socioeconomic status (generalized linear model) (p< 0.05.). Results: The results showed that the prevalence of HBP, was 20.5% and that it varied by age, nutritional status and family socioeconomic status. Sexual differences were observed only in HBP obese schoolchildren. Conclusions: Children and adolescents living in urban peripheral areas of the city of La Plata, Argentina, presented higher HBP prevalence. While HBP prevalence was higher among overweight/obese children, those aged >8 years and those of more favorable family socioeconomic status, sex did not affect HBP development. However, when HBP was analyzed associated with nutritional status, obese boys were more likely to have HBP than girls.

Prevalence and correlation of vitamin D deficiency and high blood pressure in primary and middle school students in Chongqing

Objective To understand the status of vitamin D deficiency and high blood pressure in primary and middle school students aged 7 to 17 years old in Chongqing, and to explore the correlation between vitamin D deficiency and high blood pressure in children and adolescents. Methods From 2016 to 2017, a total of 1 360 primary and middle school students, aged 7 to 17 years old, were selected from three rural and three urban sites in Chongqing using multi-stage stratified random sampling. This study carried out a questionnaire survey, and participants underwent a physical examination which included blood pressure and serum vitamin D assessments. Results The deficiency and insufficiency rates of vitamin D were 9.71%, and 62.57%, respectively. The high blood pressure rate was 25.88%. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for age, economic status, waist circumference, BMI classification, and family history of hypertension, the risk of hypertension was 1.42 times that of the normal group ( P<0.05), and the risk of high systolic blood pressure was 1.59 times that of the normal group ( P<0.05). Conclusion The deficiency and insufficiency rate of vitamin D among children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years old in Chongqing was high, and the phenomenon of high blood pressure was prominent. Students with vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were more likely to have high blood pressure. 【摘要】 目的 了解重庆市中小学生维生素 D 缺乏和血压偏高现况及其相关性, 为有针对性防治儿童高血压的发生发展 提供参考依据。 方法 2016 年 10 月至 2017 年 1 月, 通过多阶段分层随机抽样在重庆市选择 3 个农村点和 3 个城市点共 1 360 名 7~17 岁中小学生, 开展问卷调查、体格测量、血压测量和血清维生素 D 检测。 结果 中小学生维生素D缺乏率为 9.71%, 不足率为 62.57%; 血压偏高率为 25.88%。多因素 Logistic 回归分析结果显示, 调整了年龄、经济状况、腰围和体质 量指数 (BMI) 分类、高血压家族史等因素后, 维生素 D 缺乏和不足组发生高血压的风险是正常组的 1.42倍, 收缩压偏高的 风险是正常组的 1.59倍 ( P 值均<0.05)。 结论 重庆市中小学生维生素 D 缺乏和不足、血压偏高现象较突出, 需引起关 注。维生素 D 不足和缺乏者较容易出现血压偏高。

Effects of prematurity on long-term renal health: a systematic review

ObjectiveTo investigate the literature and determine if prematurity has an impact on long-term adverse kidney outcomes.DesignSystematic review.Data sourcesOVID Medline, PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL and EMBASE databases were searched for studies relating...

Blood pressure in children with renal cysts and diabetes syndrome.

Cystic kidney diseases such as autosomal recessive or dominant polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD and ADPKD) are associated with high prevalence of arterial hypertension. On the contrary, studies on hypertension in children with renal cysts and diabetes (RCAD) syndrome caused by abnormalities in the HNF1B gene are rare. Therefore, the primary aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence of high blood pressure in children with RCAD syndrome due to HNF1B gene abnormalities and secondary to search for possible risk factors for development of high blood pressure. Data on all children with genetically proven RCAD syndrome from three pediatric nephrology tertiary centers were retrospectively reviewed (office blood pressure (BP), ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), creatinine clearance, renal ultrasound, echocardiography, albuminuria/proteinuria). High blood pressure was defined as BP ≥ 95th percentile of the current ESH 2016 guidelines and/or by the use of antihypertensive drugs. Thirty-two children with RCAD syndrome were investigated. Three children received ACE inhibitors for hypertension and/or proteinuria. High blood pressure was diagnosed using office BP in 22% of the children (n = 7). In the 7 performed ABPM, 1 child (14%) was diagnosed with hypertension and one child with white-coat hypertension. Creatinine clearance, proteinuria, albuminuria, body mass index, enlargement, or hypodysplasia of the kidneys and prevalence of HNF1B-gene deletion or mutation were not significantly different between hypertensive and normotensive children.Conclusion:High blood pressure is present in 22% of children with RCAD syndrome. What is Known: • Arterial hypertension is a common complication in children with polycystic kidney diseases. What is New: • High office blood pressure is present in 22% and ambulatory hypertension in 14% of children with renal cyst and diabetes (RCAD) syndrome.

Relationship between endothelin and nitric oxide pathways in the onset and maintenance of hypertension in children and adolescents

The mechanisms that regulate blood pressure are numerous and complex; one mechanism that plays an important role in this scenario is represented by the balance between the vasoconstrictor effect of endothelin-1 and the vasodilator effect of nitric oxide. While there is agreement on the fact that increased endothelin-1 activity and decreased nitric oxide bioavailability are present in hypertensive adults, the situation is less clear in children and adolescents. Not all studies agree on the finding of an increase in plasma endothelin-1 levels in hypertensive children and adolescents; in addition, the picture is often confused by the concomitant presence of obesity, a condition that stimulates the production of endothelin-1. Furthermore, there is recent evidence that, in younger obese and hypertensive subjects, there is an overproduction of nitric oxide, rather than a reduction. This condition may change over time, causing endothelial dysfunction due to a reduced availability of nitric oxide in hypertensive adolescents. The purpose of this review is to address the main biochemical and pathophysiological aspects of endothelin and nitric oxide involvement in hypertension and to summarize the available scientific evidence on their role in the onset and maintenance of high blood pressure in children and adolescents.

Red europea para la investigación de la presión arterial en niños y adolescentes (COST Action CA19115)

High blood pressure is a clearly established modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular and renal disease. Although most of its adverse effects develop in adulthood, it has become clear that high BP is a lifelong problem that can manifest early in life. While few would dispute the importance of taking effective steps to identify and manage this condition in middle-aged and elderly individuals, relatively little attention has been paid to the problem of high BP in children and adolescents. Therefore, the development of actions focused on early childhood, childhood and adolescence and the investigation of the underlying causes of this epidemic are of utmost importance. There is a pressing need for comprehensive pan-European action to increase the knowledge on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure in children and adolescents, the current scarcity of which impedes the development of consensus across different research fields and hinders efforts to introduce changes in clinical practice. There are some aspects that demand urgent action: the definition of hypertension, the prevalence of high BP in Europe, accurate measurement for early identification, the assessment of hypertension-mediated organ damage and the development and implementation of prevention strategies. In order to provide answers to all of these unanswered questions and challenges, a multidisciplinary network was established, maintained and funded by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Association. COST is a funding organization for the creation of research networks known as COST Actions. In this case, the network will promote coordinated and collaborative activities on personalized preventive measures for children and adolescents across Europe.

In Utero Exposure to Heavy Metals and Trace Elements and Childhood Blood Pressure in a U.S. Urban, Low-Income, Minority Birth Cohort.

Background:In utero exposure to heavy metals lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and cadmium (Cd) may be associated with higher childhood blood pressure (BP), whereas trace elements selenium (Se) and manganese (Mn) may have protective antioxidant effects that modify metal-BP associations.Objectives:We examined the individual and joint effects of in utero exposure to Pb, Hg, Cd, Se, and Mn on childhood BP.Methods:We used data from the Boston Birth Cohort (enrolled 2002–2013). We measured heavy metals and trace elements in maternal red blood cells collected 24–72 h after delivery. We calculated child BP percentile per the 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Practice Guideline. We used linear regression models to estimate the association of each metal, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to examine metal coexposures, with child BP between 3 to 15 years of age. Results:Our analytic sample comprised 1,194 mother-infant pairs (61% non-Hispanic Black, 20% Hispanic). Hg and Pb were not associated with child systolic BP (SBP). Se and Mn were inversely associated with child SBP percentiles, which, on average, were 6.23 points lower with a doubling of Se (95% CI: , ) and 2.62 points lower with a doubling of Mn (95% CI: , ). BKMR models showed similar results. Although Cd was not associated with child SBP overall, the inverse association between Mn and child SBP was stronger at higher levels of Cd (). Consistent with this finding, in utero exposure to cigarette smoke modified the Mn–child SBP association. Among children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy, a doubling of Mn was associated with a 10.09-point reduction in SBP percentile (95% CI: , ), compared with a 1.49-point reduction (95% CI: , 1.24) in children whose mothers did not smoke during pregnancy ().Conclusion:Se and Mn concentrations in maternal red blood cells collected 24–72 h after delivery were associated with lower child SBP at 3 to 15 years of age. There was an interaction between Mn and Cd on child SBP, whereby the protective association of Mn on child SBP was stronger among mothers who had higher Cd. The association of Mn and child SBP was also modified by maternal cigarette smoking—a source of Cd—during pregnancy. Optimizing in utero Se levels, as well as Mn levels in women who had high Cd or smoked during pregnancy, may protect offspring from developing high BP during childhood. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP8325

Bifidobacterium reduction is associated with high blood pressure in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus

Children with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) have an elevated risk of abnormal blood pressure (BP) measurements and patterns. Both hypertension and T1DM are well-known risk factors for cardiovascular disease and kidney failure. The human microbiome has been linked to both diabetes and hypertension, but the relationship between the gut microbiome and BP in children with T1DM is not well-understood. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the relationship between resting office BP and gut microbiota composition, diversity, and richness in children with T1DM and healthy controls. We recruited 29 pediatric subjects and divided them into three groups: healthy controls (HC, n = 5), T1DM with normal BP (T1DM-Normo, n = 17), and T1DM with elevated BP (T1DM-HBP, n = 7). We measured the BP, dietary and clinical parameters for each subject. We collected fecal samples to perform the 16s rDNA sequencing and to measure the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) level. The microbiome downstream analysis included the relative abundance of microbiota, alpha and beta diversity, microbial markers using Linear Discriminant effect size analysis (LEfSe), potential gut microbial metabolic pathways using Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) and metabolic pathways validation using Statistical Inference of Associations between Microbial Communities And host phenotype (SIAMCAT) machine learning toolbox. Our study results showed that T1DM-HBP group had distinct gut microbial composition (at multiple taxonomic levels) and reduced diversity (richness and abundance) compared with T1DM-Normo and HC groups. Children with T1DM-HBP showed a significant reduction of Bifidobacterium levels (especially B. adolescentis, B. bifidum, and B. longum) compared to the T1DM-Normo group. We also observed unique gut-microbial metabolic pathways, such as elevated lipopolysaccharide synthesis and glutathione metabolism in children with T1DM-HBP compared to T1DM-Normo children. We can conclude that the reduction in the abundance of genus Bifidobacterium could play a significant role in elevating the BP in pediatric T1DM subjects. More studies are needed to corroborate our findings and further explore the potential contributing mechanisms we describe.

School-based surveillance on visit-to-visit blood pressure variability and high blood pressure in children and adolescents

BackgroundThe predictive importance of visit-to-visit blood pressure variability (VVV) for high blood pressure (HBP) in a pediatric population has been largely unsettled. We aimed to evaluate it based on Health Promotion Program for Children and Adolescents (HPPCA), a school-based surveillance conducted from 2012 to 2018 in Suzhou, China.MethodsA total of 330,618 participants had BP measurement in 2018 and ≥ 3 BP records during 2012–2017, were recruited from HPPCA. Absolute BP values (in mmHg) were converted into age-, sex- and height- normalized z-scores. VVV was expressed as standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV) or average real variability (ARV) of BP z-scores during 2012–2017. Logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between VVV and HBP in 2018.ResultsIn 2018, 42,554 (12.87%) subjects were defined as HBP. VVV, except for SBP-CV and DBP-CV, was significantly higher in the HBP group than normotensives group. After adjusting for covariates including mean BP values from 2012 to 2017, SBP-SD, SBP-ARV, DBP-SD and DBP-ARV, increased the risk of HBP by 5.70 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 5.54–5.87], 4.10 (95% CI 4.01–4.20), 4.70 (95% CI 4.50–4.90) and 3.39 (95% CI 3.28–3.50) times, respectively. Notably, SBP-SD significantly improved risk discrimination of HBP based on other risk variables (c-statistics, net reclassification index and integrated discrimination improvement significantly increased).ConclusionsHigher SD or ARV of BP, was independently related with higher probability of HBP in Chinese pediatric population. SBP-SD could be potentially helpful for detecting HBP. Future researches investigating the predictive value of VVV are warrant.

European Network for blood pressure research in children and adolescents (COST Action CA 19115)

High blood pressure is a clearly established modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular and renal disease. Although most of its adverse effects develop in adulthood, it has become clear that high BP is a lifelong problem that can manifest early in life. While few would dispute the importance of taking effective steps to identify and manage this condition in middle-aged and elderly individuals, relatively little attention has been paid to the problem of high BP in children and adolescents.Therefore, the development of actions focused on early childhood, childhood and adolescence and the investigation of the underlying causes of this epidemic are of utmost importance. There is a pressing need for comprehensive pan-European action to increase the knowledge on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure in children and adolescents, the current scarcity of which impedes the development of consensus across different research fields and hinders efforts to introduce changes in clinical practice. There are some aspects that demand urgent action: the definition of hypertension, the prevalence of high BP in Europe, accurate measurement for early identification, the assessment of hypertension-mediated organ damage and the development and implementation of prevention strategies. In order to provide answers to all of these unanswered questions and challenges, a multidisciplinary network was established, maintained and funded by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Association. COST is a funding organization for the creation of research networks known as COST Actions. In this case, the network will promote coordinated and collaborative activities on personalized preventive measures for children and adolescents across Europe.

High blood pressure in children and adolescents: lights and shadows in the American Academy of Pediatrics clinical practice guidelines

High blood pressure in pediatric age is meeting a growing interest owing to the possible aftermaths in adult age in terms of public health. In fact, children and adolescents with high blood pressure values are likely to become hypertensive adults, thus developing cardiovascular diseases. Over the last decade, numerous studies have been conducted in this field. That is the reason why the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2017 published un update on the previous recommendations of the United States Fourth Working Group on pediatric blood pressure. This update includes a new classification of hypertension, the endorsement of the 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and the reduction in the blood pressure target for both chronic kidney disease and non-chronic kidney disease hypertensive children. This review discusses strengths and weaknesses of the recent practical guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Hypertension in Children

Introduction: Hypertention in children is a serious disease. The prognosis depends largely on its aetiology. Patients and methods: This is a retrospective study of cases of hypertension in children Results : During the study period, 36 cases of high blood pressure in children were collected. The mean age of the patients was 7 years. The revealing symptoms of hypertension were: edematous syndrome and hematuria in 21 cases, headache in 4 cases, convulsion in 3 cases, amaurosis in 1 case and hypertension was systematically discovered in 7 cases. The etiologies were dominated by the renovascular causes: 21 cases of acute glomerulonephritis, 7 cases of hemolytic and uremic syndrome, 1 case of tubulointerstitial nephropathy, 1 case of renal artery stenosis. On the other hand, we have compiled: 2 cases of isolated hypertension, 1 case of coarctation of the aorta, 1 case of hyperthyroidism, 1 case of Williams and Beuren syndrome and 1 case of steroid poisoning. Conclusion: The early and adequate management of hypertention can reduce complications

Paediatric hypertension: The importance of prevention and early diagnosis

High Blood Pressure and Hypertension (HTN) in pediatrics are increasing as a result of sedentary lifestyle associated with overweight and obesity that are becoming more prevalent in this population. Despite being a silent disease, it is associated early on with end-organ injuries that increase cardiovascular risk in adults and therefore lead to serious and sometimes fatal events. In addition to prevention, the correct diagnosis and early therapeutics are of great importance. This article aims to alert about the risks of high blood pressure in childhood and adolescence, preventive measures and early interventions, especially in those with primary HTN.

The relationship between body mass index and blood pressure: A study among school going children of Rajasthan, India

Objectives: Hypertension has become common in children and generally remains undiagnosed and untreated. The present study aims to find the prevalence of high blood pressure (BP) and examines the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and BP among school going children. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 240 school going children aged between 10 years and 17 years of Udaipur district of Rajasthan. Data were collected using interview schedules and somatometric measurements were taken based on standardized protocols established by the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 20. Hypertension is considered when BP (systolic BP [SBP] and/or diastolic BP [DBP]) level is ≥95th percentile for height, age, and sex according to the Fourth Report on the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of High BP in Children and Adolescents (2004). Results: It was found that 49% children were underweight, 3% were overweight, and 2% were obese. Hypertension was seen in 39 (16.2%) children (5.4% systolic hypertension, 5.8% diastolic hypertension, and 5% both systolic and diastolic hypertension). Children who were overweight/obese were more likely to have hypertension than those who were normal or underweight. Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicate that BMI is a crucial factor affecting BP levels. Simple measurements of body weight and height to determine BMI as a routine assessment in schools would help in controlling BP levels in children that might cause adulthood morbidity and mortality due to hypertension.

Association of blood pressure with dietary intake, physical activity, and anthropometric measurements in Turkish adolescents.

Determining high blood pressure in childhood is an important step to reduce the risk of occurrence of high blood pressure-related diseases in adulthood. This study aimed to assess the association of blood pressure with dietary intake, physical activity, and anthropometric measurements in Turkish adolescents. This cross-sectional study included 370 students (202 females, 168 males) aged 14 to 18 years from one private and one public school in Kayseri, Turkey. Some anthropometric measurements and 24-hour dietary recall of the students were obtained. Their blood pressures were measured, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) were used. The body mass index (BMI) mean and waist/height ratio of the hypertensive group were significantly higher than those of the prehypertensive group, whereas their daily potassium, calcium, and magnesium intakes were significantly lower than those of the normotensive group. The percentage of individuals with very low diet quality was higher in the hypertensive group than in the normotensive group (P > 0.05). The percentage of participants with sufficient physical activity was higher in the normotensive group than in the prehypertensive and hypertensive groups. Factors such as high BMI and waist/height rates; low calcium, magnesium, and potassium intakes with diet; insufficient physical activity; and low quality of diet might cause an increase in the blood pressure.

High blood pressure in today’s child – the beginning of a chronic disease in tomorrow’s adult life

High blood pressure in children represents a clinical syn­drome which appears when the value of arterial tension is over the 95th percentile for age, weight and sex. It is a glo­bal health issue, doubling the risk of heart diseases and it is the third risk factor for mortality and morbidity in the world. Taking into consideration that the origin of hyper­ten­sion was in childhood, our study proposes a de­tailed analysis from a clinical and biological point of view, on a retrospective study of hypertension cases registered in the Department of Pediatric Cardiology of the “Sf. Maria” Emer­gency Clinical Hospital for Children, Iaşi, from January 2015 to January 2018.