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Assessing secular trends in blood pressure in children and adolescents

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 23, pages 426–427 (2009)Cite this article

Until recently, hypertension was rarely a matter of concern among children and adolescents. Perception of this condition has changed because of evidence showing that elevated blood pressure (BP) during childhood is not benign. Elevated BP in children is associated with left ventricular hypertrophy and a thickening of carotid intima–media thickness.1 Furthermore, BP tracks over time and children with elevated BP are at high risk of developing hypertension in adulthood.2 These findings support the potential for primordial prevention, that is, the prevention of elevated BP during childhood and adolescence.3

The new interest shown to paediatric hypertension is also related to the worldwide ‘epidemic’ of obesity. On the basis of the strong association between obesity and elevated BP,4, 5 it is often believed that mean population BP levels have increased in the past decades because of upward trends in the prevalence of obesity in children.6, 7 However, the few population-based studies of BP trends have not consistently shown that BP increased in parallel with the obesity trends.8, 9 Some studies show upward BP trends (for example, in the USA in the last decade),7 whereas others show downward BP trends.10 Furthermore, trends in systolic and diastolic BP diverged in some studies.9

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Acknowledgements

Arnaud Chiolero is supported by a grant from the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

    A Chiolero & G Paradis

  2. Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (IUMSP), University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland,

    A Chiolero & P Bovet

  3. McGill University Health Center Research Institute, Montreal, Canada

    G Paradis

  4. Quebec Public Health Institute, Montreal, Canada

    G Paradis

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  1. A Chiolero
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  2. P Bovet
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Correspondence to A Chiolero.

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Chiolero, A., Bovet, P. & Paradis, G. Assessing secular trends in blood pressure in children and adolescents. J Hum Hypertens 23, 426–427 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/jhh.2008.165

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