Evaluation of hypertension by the general pediatrician

Management of hypertension in children and adolescents

Hypertension has been recognized as an important health issue in the pediatric population over the past years. This emphasizes the need for an organized and effective plan for diagnosis and management. This review provides information to guide physicians through a structured approach to (1) screen children for hypertension during routine visits; (2) use normative blood pressure tables for diagnosis and classification; (3) perform a clinical evaluation to identify the presence of risk factors, comorbidities and/or target organ damage; and (4) initiate an individualized plan of care that includes follow-up blood pressure measurement, therapeutic lifestyle changes and - if necessary - pharmacological therapies.

Severe visual loss caused by unrecognized malignant hypertension in a 15-year-old girl

A 15-year-old girl presented with acute bilateral loss of central visual acuity due to hypertensive retinopathy level IV. She was found to have unrecognized malignant arterial hypertension associated with end-stage renal failure. At the time of diagnosis she also had severe left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Hypertension was successfully treated with combined anti-hypertensive therapy, but renal function did not recover. The patient underwent successful kidney transplant 4 months later and over a period of 20 months hypertensive retinopathy and LVH gradually resolved. This report emphasizes the importance of routine measurement of blood pressure and describes the possible consequences of unrecognized arterial hypertension in children. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are necessary to avoid development and progression of target organ damage and promote better long-term cardiovascular prognosis.

Distribution curve of waist-to-height ratio and its association with blood pressure among children and adolescents: study in a large population in an eastern coastal province, China

Several studies have suggested that waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) is an accurate and easier index for evaluating abdominal obesity in both children and adults. The present study examined the distribution of WHtR and its association with blood pressure (BP) levels among children and adolescents in a large population in Shandong, China. A total of 38,810 students (19,453 boys and 19,357 girls) aged 7-17 years participated in this study. Height, waist circumference (WC), and BP of all subjects were measured, and WHtR was calculated. Abdominal obesity was defined as WHtR ≥0.5; high BP status was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥95th percentile for age and gender. Overall, 16.45% (95%CI: 15.93-16.97) and 7.80% (95%CI: 7.42-8.17) of boys and girls had a WHtR ≥0.5. WHtR was positively correlated with SBP and DBP in both boys and girls. The mean values of SBP and DBP for both boys and girls were all significantly higher in the WHtR ≥0.5 group than in the WHtR<0.5 group. Z-scores of BP and the prevalence of high BP increased with WHtR. The prevalence of high BP increased from 10.61 (boys) and 9.64% (girls) in the WHtR <0.34 group to 55.11 (boys) and 51.97% (girls) in the WHtR ≥0.58 group, an increase of 4.2- and 4.4-times. We conclude that children and adolescents with high WHtR might have an increased risk of elevated BP. These findings highlight the importance of the prevention of abdominal obesity in order to prevent future-related problems such as hypertension in children and adolescents.

Comparison of blood pressure levels among children and adolescents with different body mass index and waist circumference: study in a large sample in Shandong, China

PURPOSE

Several anthropometric indicators [such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR)] have been used to investigate the association between adiposity and high blood pressure (BP) in both adults and children. The present study compared the BP levels among children and adolescents with different BMI and WC in a large population in Shandong, China.

METHODS

A total of 38,822 students (19,456 boys and 19,366 girls) aged 7-17 years participated in this study. Height, weight, WC, and BP of all subjects were measured, and BMI was calculated. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was obtained according to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cutoffs; central obesity was defined as WC ≥ 90th percentile (P 90); relatively high BP status was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥ 95th percentile for age and gender.

RESULTS

Within each BMI categories (normal weight, overweight, and obesity), children and adolescents with WC ≥ P 90 had higher BP levels than those with WC < P 90 (p < 0.01). When BMI and WC were combined, the highest and lowest prevalences of relatively high BP were noted in obese with WC ≥ P 90 group (54.52% for boys and 48.71% for girls) and normal weight with WC < P 90 group (17.00% for boys and 14.13% for girls).

CONCLUSION

Children and adolescents with high BMI and high WC might have an increased risk of elevated BP. Our results suggest that the additional measurement of WC is better than BMI alone to help identify high BP risks.

Prevalência de pressão arterial elevada em crianças e adolescentes do ensino fundamental

OBJETIVO: Verificar a prevalência de pressão arterial elevada em crianças e adolescentes e sua associação com indicadores antropométricos. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal de estudantes de três instituições de ensino em Botucatu (SP). As variáveis avaliadas foram: pressão arterial (PA) (obtida em três ocasiões diferentes), peso, estatura, índice de massa corporal (IMC), circunferência braquial, circunferência abdominal (CA), dobras cutâneas tricipital e subescapular. A PA foi aferida por método auscultatório e classificada em pré-hipertensão (PH) e hipertensão arterial (HAS), para os valores entre os percentis 90 e 95 e maior que o percentil 95, respectivamente. Os dados antropométricos foram comparados, segundo o sexo, pelo teste t de Student. A correlação de Pearson foi utilizada para verificar a variação das PA sistólica (PAS) e diastólica (PAD) segundo dados antropométricos. A variação do escore Z da PA segundo percentil de IMC foi avaliada pela análise de variância seguida do teste de Tukey. RESULTADOS: Foram avaliadas 903 crianças (51,7% meninos), com idade de 9,3±2,5 anos para ambos os sexos. A prevalência de PH foi de 9,1% e de HAS foi de 2,9%. Houve correlação positiva significativa entre os níveis de PAS e PAD elevados e as variáveis antropométricas, com valores maiores para peso (r=0,53 e r=0,45, p<0,05, respectivamente) e CA (r=0,50 e r=0,38, p<0,05, respectivamente). CONCLUSÕES: A prevalência de níveis pressóricos elevados nesta casuística foi compatível com outros estudos brasileiros e internacionais, correlacionando-se positivamente com indicadores antropométricos elevados, o que sinaliza a influência do excesso de peso na PA já na infância.