Sustained hypertension in children

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P Hari1, A Bagga, R N Srivastava

  • 1Division of Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110 029, India.

Indian Pediatrics
|April 6, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Most children with sustained hypertension have an identifiable cause, often kidney-related. Some patients with renovascular or endocrine issues may first present with severe hypertension complications.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nephrology
  • Pediatric Cardiology
  • Internal Medicine

Background:

  • Sustained hypertension in children is a significant clinical concern.
  • Identifying the underlying etiology is crucial for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the causes and clinical characteristics of sustained hypertension in a pediatric population.
  • To understand the presentation patterns of pediatric hypertension.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective hospital-based study.
  • Analysis of 246 children with sustained hypertension (1983-1996).
  • Data collection on age, sex, etiology, and presenting symptoms.

Main Results:

  • The mean age of presentation was 8.2 years; 180 out of 246 patients were boys.
  • An underlying cause was identified in 98.4% of cases, with chronic glomerulonephritis being the most common (49.2%).
  • Renovascular disease, including Takayasu's disease, and coarctation of the aorta were significant causes, particularly in infants. 80.5% had hypertension as a feature of a known disease, while some presented with severe complications like cardiac failure or encephalopathy.

Conclusions:

  • The majority of pediatric sustained hypertension cases have a specific underlying etiology.
  • Renovascular and endocrine conditions can lead to initial presentations with severe hypertensive complications.
Abstract

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