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Blood pressure-to-height ratio as a screening measure for identifying children with hypertension

Qiang Lu1, Chunming Ma, Fuzai Yin

  • 1Department of Endocrinology, The First Hospital of Qinhuangdao, No. 258 Wenhua Road, Qinhuangdao 066000, Hebei, China.

European Journal of Pediatrics
|October 12, 2012
PubMed

Insights

The blood pressure-to-height ratio (BPHR) is an accurate and cost-effective method for screening hypertension in children. This study established optimal BPHR thresholds for identifying elevated blood pressure in Han children aged 7-12.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Cardiology
  • Public Health
  • Biostatistics

Background:

  • Hypertension screening in children is crucial for early detection and management.
  • Existing screening methods may have limitations in certain populations.
  • The blood pressure-to-height ratio (BPHR) offers a potentially simpler alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of BPHR for identifying hypertension in Han children.
  • To propose optimal BPHR thresholds for hypertension screening in this demographic.
  • To compare BPHR-based hypertension classification with a gold standard definition.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study of 1,352 Han children aged 7-12 years.
  • Anthropometric measurements and blood pressure were recorded.
  • Systolic (SBPHR) and diastolic (DBPHR) BPHR were calculated; Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine optimal thresholds.

Main Results:

  • The accuracy (Area Under the Curve) of SBPHR and DBPHR for detecting elevated blood pressure exceeded 0.85.
  • Optimal SBPHR cutoffs were 0.76-0.88 mmHg/cm (boys) and 0.78-0.90 mmHg/cm (girls).
  • Optimal DBPHR cutoffs were 0.51-0.60 mmHg/cm (boys) and 0.51-0.58 mmHg/cm (girls).
  • Hypertension defined by BPHR showed high sensitivity (95.0-100%) and specificity (94.3-96.8%).

Conclusions:

  • BPHR is a simple, inexpensive, and accurate index for screening hypertension in Han children.
  • Established BPHR thresholds can aid in the early identification of pediatric hypertension.
  • This method holds promise for widespread application in pediatric health surveillance.

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