Blood pressure abnormalities in children with chronic kidney disease

Janis M Dionne1, Margaret M Turik, Robert M Hurley

  • 1Division of Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, British Columbia's Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. jdionne@cw.bc.ca

Insights

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring reveals significant nocturnal hypertension and abnormal dipping in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). These findings highlight the need for 24-h BP monitoring in pediatric CKD patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nephrology
  • Cardiovascular Health
  • Hypertension Research

Background:

  • Blood pressure (BP) rhythm disturbances are linked to renal impairment.
  • Understanding BP patterns in pediatric chronic kidney disease (CKD) is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of BP abnormalities in children with CKD.
  • To identify factors associated with nocturnal BP abnormalities.

Main Methods:

  • 42 children (2-19 years) with CKD stages 2-5 underwent 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring.
  • Analysis focused on nocturnal hypertension, BP load, and nocturnal dipping patterns.

Main Results:

  • Nocturnal hypertension affected 14% (systolic) and 24% (diastolic) of patients.
  • Elevated BP load (>50%) was observed in a similar percentage.
  • 49% had BP abnormalities missed by casual BP measurements.
  • Decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate correlated with reduced nocturnal BP dipping.
  • Proteinuria was linked to nocturnal BP nondipping.

Conclusions:

  • 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring offers valuable insights into hypertension in pediatric CKD patients, even at stage 2.
  • Nocturnal hypertension, elevated BP load, and nocturnal BP nondipping are common and often undetected by standard BP measurements.
Abstract

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