HYPERTENSION IN CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE

Through the benefit of a large body of normative data on blood pressure throughout childhood, along with the clinical practice of regular blood pressure measurement in the young, mild elevation of blood pressure can be detected in the young. Unlike secondary hypertension in the young which is more severe, slight to mild elevations in blood pressure during childhood may be an early expression of essential hypertension. Mildly elevated blood pressure in the young is usually associated with other risk factors including obesity, family history of cardiovascular disease, and metabolic alterations in lipids and insulin. Environmental factors, which include health related behaviors can modulate the expression of the risk factors including elevated blood pressure. The extent to which the health behaviors of diet and exercise can be modified in the young may be important for risk factor intervention during the early phases of hypertension.