Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026
Measuring the Carotid to Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity Cf-PWV to Evaluate Arterial Stiffness
Published on: May 3, 2018
Oscillometric 24-h ambulatory blood pressure reference values in Hong Kong Chinese children and adolescents
Gabriel W K Yip1, Albert M Li, Hung-Kwan So
1aDivision of Cardiology, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics bDepartment of Paediatrics cThe Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital dDepartment of Paediatrics, Kwong Wah Hospital eDepartment of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Princess Margaret Hospital fDepartment of Paediatrics, Queen Elizabeth Hospital gDepartment of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Tuen Mun Hospital, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Peoples' Republic of China.
Insights
This study establishes 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) reference values for Chinese children and adolescents. These new standards, crucial for pediatric hypertension screening, differ from previous German references.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Public Health
- Biostatistics
Background:
- Establishing accurate blood pressure (BP) reference values is critical for identifying hypertension in children.
- Existing BP references may not accurately reflect the diverse Chinese pediatric population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish community-based normal reference values for 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in Chinese children and adolescents.
- To investigate the impact of excluding overweight children on BP percentiles and compare these with German references.
Main Methods:
- A territory-wide cross-sectional prospective cohort study involving 1445 Hong Kong Chinese children and adolescents aged 8-17 years.
- ABPM assessment using validated oscillometric recorders, adhering to American Heart Association recommendations.
- LMS method employed to construct reference tables, normalizing BP data by sex and age or height.
Main Results:
- Ambulatory BP was higher in boys, with the difference widening with age.
- Daytime and night-time systolic and diastolic BP showed increasing trends with age and height in both sexes.
- Excluding overweight children resulted in lower age- and sex-specific 95th percentiles (up to 2.5/1 mmHg for SBP/DBP).
- Overall and nonoverweight reference standards were generally higher than German references.
Conclusions:
- The study provides essential sex- and age/height-specific ambulatory BP standards for Chinese children.
- Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the clinical utility of these standards in the Chinese population.
Objectives:
We aimed to establish community-based normal reference values of 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) for Chinese children and adolescents. Furthermore, we investigated how excluding overweight children affects BP percentiles and compared them with German references.
Methods:
In this territory-wide cross-sectional prospective cohort study, 1445 Hong Kong Chinese children and adolescents aged 8-17 years with body height between 119 and 185 cm were recruited. Their ABPM assessment was performed using validated arm oscillometric recorders (A&D TM-2430) and complied with American Heart Association's recommendations. The reference tables were constructed using the LMS method to normalize skewed distribution of ABP data to sex and age or height.
Results:
The ambulatory BP was higher among boys and the difference between boys and girls progressively widened with age. An increasing trend in daytime and night-time SBP and DBP with age and height was observed in both sexes. The age-specific and sex-specific 95th percentiles from nonoverweight children (n=1147; 79%) were lower than the whole cohort by up to 2.5 and 1 mmHg for SBP and DBP, respectively. In comparison, our overall and nonoverweight reference standards were generally higher than corresponding German references.
Conclusion:
The study provides ambulatory BP standards for Chinese children, with sex-related age-specific and height-specific percentiles. Further longitudinal studies are required for investigating its clinical utility in Chinese.
Related Concept Videos
01:15Assessment of blood pressure in brachial artery(one-step method)
Prepare for the Procedure:
01:23Assessment of blood pressure in brachial artery(two-step method)
01:28Special considerations while measuring blood pressure
Monitoring Both Arms:
Monitoring BP in both arms during the initial assessment is advisable, as the systolic value may differ by five to ten mm Hg between arms. For subsequent BP assessments, use the arm with the higher reading.
01:24Blood Pressure
01:30Blood Pressure
The average BP in an adult is typically around 120/80 mmHg (millimeters of mercury). In this measurement, the numerator (120) indicates the systolic pressure, which is the pressure in the arteries during the contraction of the heart's ventricles as blood is expelled. The denominator (80) represents the...
01:17Measurement of Blood Pressure