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Parental assessment of executive function and internalizing and externalizing behavior in primary hypertension after

Marc B Lande1, Heather Adams, Bonita Falkner

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642, USA. marc_lande@urmc.rochester.edu

The Journal of Pediatrics
|March 16, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Children with primary hypertension showed improved executive function, as rated by parents, after 12 months of anti-hypertensive therapy. This study highlights the positive impact of blood pressure treatment on cognitive skills in pediatric hypertension.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Cardiology
  • Neuropsychology
  • Clinical Hypertension

Background:

  • Primary hypertension in children is associated with potential neurocognitive deficits.
  • Executive function and behavior are crucial for a child's development and academic success.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effect of anti-hypertensive therapy on parental ratings of executive function and behavior in children with primary hypertension.
  • To assess changes in Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores post-treatment.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal study involving children with untreated hypertension and normotensive controls.
  • Parents completed BRIEF and CBCL at baseline and after 12 months of anti-hypertensive therapy for the hypertensive group.
  • Blood pressure was monitored to ensure treatment efficacy (casual BP <95th percentile).

Main Results:

  • Anti-hypertensive therapy significantly improved blood pressure in the hypertensive group (24-hour SBP load reduced from 60% to 25%).
  • Parental ratings of executive function, measured by the BRIEF Global Executive Composite T-score, significantly improved in children with hypertension (Delta=-5.9, P=0.001).
  • No significant changes in executive function or behavior (CBCL Internalizing/Externalizing scales) were observed in normotensive controls or in the CBCL measures for the hypertensive group.

Conclusions:

  • Twelve months of anti-hypertensive therapy led to significant improvements in executive function as perceived by parents in children with primary hypertension.
  • The findings suggest a potential link between blood pressure control and enhanced executive function in pediatric hypertension.
  • Further research is warranted to explore the mechanisms underlying this improvement and its long-term impact.
Abstract

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