Childhood HTN (hypertension) has become a widely investigated topic within the last decade due to its increasing prevalence. In the present review, we examine new developments and trends that have significantly contributed to aetiology, diagnosis, evaluation and management of childhood HTN. Many recent reports document an increasing prevalence of HTN, mainly essential HTN, in children worldwide. This is probably related to the increase of childhood obesity, although obesity is not the only factor. Evidence has been accumulating to suggest a rather complex interplay between obesity, uric acid level, dietary sodium intake, inflammation, inheritance and other factors, which lead to increased risk of developing HTN in childhood and adulthood. The detection and monitoring of HTN has significantly improved with the use of ABPM (ambulatory blood pressure monitoring), which allows not only for a more accurate classification and staging of HTN, but also for the calculation of more sophisticated parameters such as the AASI (ambulatory arterial stiffness index). Measurement of arterial stiffness enables assessment of arterial dysfunction, which may precede structural vascular changes evaluated by carotid intima media thickness. Sustained HTN eventually leads to end-organ damage [LVH (left ventricular hypertrophy), central nervous system], which in turn increases the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. New developments in childhood HTN, as outlined in the present review, will hopefully contribute to better screening and management of HTN in children.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Review Article|
May 14 2010
Hypertension in children: new trends and challenges
Janusz Feber;
1Division of Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1H 8L1
Correspondence: Dr Janusz Feber (email [email protected]).
Search for other works by this author on:
Maheen Ahmed
Maheen Ahmed
1Division of Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1H 8L1
Search for other works by this author on:
Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
November 05 2009
Revision Received:
March 11 2010
Accepted:
March 12 2010
Online ISSN: 1470-8736
Print ISSN: 0143-5221
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2010 Biochemical Society
2010
Clin Sci (Lond) (2010) 119 (4): 151–161.
Article history
Received:
November 05 2009
Revision Received:
March 11 2010
Accepted:
March 12 2010
Citation
Janusz Feber, Maheen Ahmed; Hypertension in children: new trends and challenges. Clin Sci (Lond) 1 August 2010; 119 (4): 151–161. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/CS20090544
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign in to your personal account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
Biochemical Society Member Sign in
Sign InSign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionGet Access To This Article
Open Access for all
We offer compliant routes for all authors from 2025. With library support, there will be no author nor reader charges in 5 journals. Check here |
![]() |