ABSTRACT
Blood pressure increases with age and there is no precise definition of hypertension, but a child with a blood pressure greater than the 95th centile for age may be considered to have significant hypertension. Severe hypertension has been defined as a blood pressure greater than the 99th centile for age. Hypertension should not be diagnosed until an abnormal blood pressure has been confirmed on several occasions. Mild, asymptomatic hypertension, particularly in older children, is usually primary or essential. These children may be at increased risk of ischaemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease in adult life. The majority of children with severe symptomatic hypertension have an underlying cause, most commonly renal parenchymal disease.
