Primary Hypertension Beginning in Childhood and Risk for Future Cardiovascular Disease

The Study of the Epidemiology of Pediatric Hypertension Registry (SUPERHERO): rationale and methods

Despite increasing prevalence of hypertension in youth and high adult cardiovascular mortality rates, the long-term consequences of youth-onset hypertension remain unknown. This is due to limitations of prior research, such as small sample sizes, reliance on manual record review, and limited analytic methods, that did not address major biases. The Study of the Epidemiology of Pediatric Hypertension (SUPERHERO) is a multisite, retrospective registry of youth evaluated by subspecialists for hypertension disorders. Sites obtain harmonized electronic health record data using standardized biomedical informatics scripts validated with randomized manual record review. Inclusion criteria are index visit for International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) code-defined hypertension disorder on or after January 1, 2015, and age < 19 years. We exclude patients with ICD-10 code-defined pregnancy, kidney failure on dialysis, or kidney transplantation. Data include demographics, anthropomorphics, US Census Bureau tract, histories, blood pressure, ICD-10 codes, medications, laboratory and imaging results, and ambulatory blood pressure. SUPERHERO leverages expertise in epidemiology, statistics, clinical care, and biomedical informatics to create the largest and most diverse registry of youth with newly diagnosed hypertension disorders. SUPERHERO's goals are to reduce CVD burden across the life course and establish gold-standard biomedical informatics methods for youth with hypertension disorders.

Persistence and determinants of blood pressure phenotypes according to office and ambulatory blood pressure measurements in youth

Ambulatory BP monitoring is increasingly used in children and adolescents, and the persistence of discrepant phenotypes, such as white coat or masked hypertension, is a relevant issue. The objective of this study was to assess the persistence of BP phenotypes over time and the factors related to their persistence. The study included 582 children and adolescents (9.4  ±  2.8 years of age) of both sexes (51% females) referred for routine health maintenance. Anthropometric parameters and office and 24-h ABPM measurements were obtained twice (interval 19.5  ±  6.9 months). BP classification and phenotypes were qualified using the 2016 ESH Guidelines. The correlation coefficient and kappa statistics were used to assess the persistence of phenotypes, and the related factors were evaluated using logistic regression. Based on both systolic and diastolic BP measurements, 91.6%, 16%, 17.2% and 13.7% of the subjects with true normotension, sustained HTN, white coat HTN and masked HTN, respectively, remained in the same category (overall agreement 74.2%, kappa 0.20). The multivariate model predicted the lack of persistence and correctly classified 90.3% of the subjects, with the pathological baseline BP phenotype (mainly masked HTN) being the independent variable that contributed most to the model. Excluding the phenotypes, the rest of the model explained 14% of the lack of persistence, and a high office SBP and high waist circumference were related to the lack of persistence. Furthermore, subjects who experienced an increase in their BMI z score and change in their BMI category were at risk of a lack of persistence. In conclusion, children, especially those with BP phenotypes different from true normotension, should be re-evaluated because a large percentage are likely to become normotensive.

Determining the prevalence of childhood hypertension and its concomitant metabolic abnormalities using data mining methods in the Northeastern region of Hungary

Objective

Identifying hypertension in children and providing treatment for it have a marked impact on the patients' long-term cardiovascular outcomes. The global prevalence of childhood hypertension is increasing, yet its investigation has been rather sporadic in Eastern Europe. Therefore, our goal was to determine the prevalence of childhood hypertension and its concomitant metabolic abnormalities using data mining methods.

Methods

We evaluated data from 3 to 18-year-old children who visited the University of Debrecen Clinical Center's hospital throughout a 15-year study period (n = 92,198; boys/girls: 48/52%).

Results

We identified a total of 3,687 children with hypertension (2,107 boys and 1,580 girls), with a 4% calculated prevalence of hypertension in the whole study population and a higher prevalence in boys (4.7%) as compared to girls (3.2%). Among boys we found an increasing prevalence in consecutive age groups in the study population, but among girls the highest prevalences are identified in the 12-15-year age group. Markedly higher BMI values were found in hypertensive children as compared to non-hypertensives in all age groups. Moreover, significantly higher total cholesterol (4.27 ± 0.95 vs. 4.17 ± 0.88 mmol/L), LDL-C (2.62 ± 0.79 vs. 2.44 ± 0.74 mmol/L) and triglyceride (1.2 (0.85-1.69) vs. 0.94 (0.7-1.33) mmol/L), and lower HDL-C (1.2 ± 0.3 vs. 1.42 ± 0.39 mmol/L) levels were found in hypertensive children. Furthermore, significantly higher serum uric acid levels were found in children with hypertension (299.2 ± 86.1 vs. 259.9 ± 73.3 μmol/L), while glucose levels did not differ significantly.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that the calculated prevalence of childhood hypertension in our region is comparable to data from other European countries and is associated with early metabolic disturbances. Data mining is an effective method for identifying childhood hypertension and its metabolic consequences.

Joint statement for assessing and managing high blood pressure in children and adolescents: Chapter 1. How to correctly measure blood pressure in children and adolescents

The joint statement is a synergistic action between HyperChildNET and the European Academy of Pediatrics about the diagnosis and management of hypertension in youth, based on the European Society of Hypertension Guidelines published in 2016 with the aim to improve its implementation. The first and most important requirement for the diagnosis and management of hypertension is an accurate measurement of office blood pressure that is currently recommended for screening, diagnosis, and management of high blood pressure in children and adolescents. Blood pressure levels should be screened in all children starting from the age of 3 years. In those children with risk factors for high blood pressure, it should be measured at each medical visit and may start before the age of 3 years. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is increasingly recognized as an important source of information as it can detect alterations in circadian and short-term blood pressure variations and identify specific phenotypes such as nocturnal hypertension or non-dipping pattern, morning blood pressure surge, white coat and masked hypertension with prognostic significance. At present, home BP measurements are generally regarded as useful and complementary to office and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure for the evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of antihypertensive treatment and furthermore remains more accessible in primary care than 24-h ambulatory blood pressure. A grading system of the clinical evidence is included.

Association between red blood cell distribution width and left ventricular hypertrophy in pediatric essential hypertension

AIM

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is one of the most common types of target organ damage in hypertension. The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is closely related to many cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between the RDW level and LVH in pediatric essential hypertension.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 429 untreated children and adolescents with essential hypertension were recruited and divided into an LVH group (n = 114) and non-LVH group (n = 315) according to left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and relative wall thickness (RWT) by color Doppler ultrasound. Spearman correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between RDW and LVMI, RWT. The effect of RDW on LVH was determined using a multivariate logistic regression analysis. To assess the predictive value of RDW on LVH, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used.

RESULTS

The level of RDW in children with hypertension in the LVH group was significantly higher than that in the non-LVH group (13.0 [12.0, 13.0] vs. 12.4 [12.0, 13.0] %, P = 0.001). The incidence of low and high quantiles of LVH was 21.0% and 32.0%, respectively. Spearman correlation analysis showed that RDW was positively correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP), LVMI, RWT, and red blood cell (RBC) count (P all < 0.05), and negatively correlated with hemoglobin (HGB) level, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) (P all < 0.05). After adjusting for various confounding factors, a multivariate logistic regression model revealed that RDW was an independent risk factor for LVH (OR = 1.946, 95% CI: 1.324-2.861, P = 0.001). The area under the ROC curve of RDW predicting centripetal hypertrophy was 0.700 (95% CI: 0.541-0.859, P < 0.05) in pediatric essential hypertension.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased RDW levels are an independent risk factor for LVH in pediatric essential hypertension, and RDW may be a predictor of LVH in untreated pediatric essential hypertension.

Antenatal Programming of Hypertension: Paradigms, Paradoxes, and How We Move Forward

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Synthesize the clinical, epidemiological, and preclinical evidence for antenatal programming of hypertension and critically appraise paradigms and paradoxes to improve translation.

RECENT FINDINGS

Clinical and epidemiological studies persistently demonstrate that antenatal factors contribute to programmed hypertension under the developmental origins of health and disease framework, including lower birth weight, preterm birth, and fetal growth restriction. Preclinical mechanisms include preeclampsia, maternal diabetes, maternal undernutrition, and antenatal corticosteroid exposure. However, clinical and epidemiological studies to date have largely failed to adequately identify, discuss, and mitigate many sources and types of bias in part due to heterogeneous study designs and incomplete adherence to scientific rigor. These limitations have led to incomplete and biased paradigms as well as persistent paradoxes that have significantly limited translation into clinical and population health interventions. Improved understanding of these paradigms and paradoxes will allow us to substantially move the field forward.

Childhood Violence Exposure Predicts High Blood Pressure in Black American Young Adults

OBJECTIVE

To test the impact of childhood adversity, including community violence exposure, on hypertension risk in Black American young adults to understand what risk factors (eg, prenatal factors, later exposures) and ages of adversity exposure increased hypertension risk.

STUDY DESIGN

The study included 396 Black American participants with data from prenatal, birth, and age 7-, 14-, and 19-year visits. At age 19 years, individuals with blood pressure (BP) measures >120 mmHg systolic and/or >80 mmHg diastolic were classified as having high blood pressure (HBP), and those with BP <120/80 mmHg were classified as normal. Associations between prenatal and birth risk factors; childhood adversity at age 7, 14, and 19 years; age 19 body mass index (BMI); and both systolic and diastolic BP at age 19 were tested using logistic regression models.

RESULTS

Age 19 BMI was positively associated with systolic and diastolic HBP status at age 19. Controlling for all covariates, community violence exposure at age 7 and 19 years was associated with 2.2-fold (95% CI, 1.242-3.859) and 2.0-fold (95% CI, 1.052-3.664) greater odds of systolic HBP, respectively, at age 19 years. Prenatal risk, birth risk, and other dimensions of childhood adversity were not associated with HBP in this cohort.

CONCLUSION

Childhood community violence exposure is a significant risk factor for HBP in young adults. As Black American children typically experience more community violence exposure than other American children, our results suggest that racial disparities in childhood community violence exposure may contribute to racial disparities in adult hypertension burden.

Insights From Matched Office and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Youth: Clinical Relevance

BACKGROUND

Information on the relationship between ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) and concurrently office blood pressure (BP) values in youth still suffers from limitations. We provide information on the differences between office BP and ABP, the factors related, and the clinical implications.

METHODS

Three thousand six hundred ninety matched measurements of office BP and ABP on the same day, from 2390 children, aged 5 to 15 years, of both sexes were eligible. Office BP was measured using an oscillometric device (Omron 705 IT) and 24-hour ABP using oscillometric SpaceLabs 90207. Average of office, 24-hour, daytime, nighttime, systolic, and diastolic BP and heart rate was calculated. BP categories according to the European guidelines and phenotype of mismatch office BP versus ABP were defined.

RESULTS

Both daytime systolic and diastolic BP were higher than office BP with a progressive reduction of the differences from 5 to 15 years. The office minus daytime BP differences were the largest in normotensive subjects, less at high-normal, and reversed in hypertensive ones, independently of age and weight status. White coat and masked hypertension covered no more than 13.6% at all ages.

CONCLUSIONS

In youth, it is inaccurate to obtain reference values for ABP by extrapolating from office BP values. The differences between office BP and ABP are minimal in children with office BP values in the range of hypertension, reinforcing the recommendation to use ABP measurement at the time to confirm hypertension.