ABSTRACT
Our understanding of the prevalence, significance, and etiology of hypertension in childhood is evolving rapidly. New and ongoing epidemiologic research has demonstrated the presence of high blood pressure as well as other cardiovascular risk factors at young ages.1-5 Studies of children using ambulatory blood pressure measuring devices has provided new blood pressure norms and confirmation of normal and pathologic blood pressure patterns previously found in adults.6
Target-organ damage has been demonstrated by echocardiography, interpreted with ageappropriate pediatric norms.7,8 Thus, the earliest indicators of hypertensive cardiomyopathy can be shown to begin in childhood, giving new significance to its diagnosis and treatment. Treatment of high blood pressure in children has evolved with new US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated testing of pharmaceutical agents in children, which should provide better pharmacokinetic, efficacy, and safety data of a growing number of antihypertensive agents.
