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Quantification of blood pressure tracking of children by tracking index: the Shimane Heart Study
Insights
Systolic blood pressure (SBP) tracking was analyzed in Japanese children. The study found significant SBP tracking across various age cohorts, indicating predictable blood pressure trends from childhood into adolescence.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Cardiovascular Health
- Biostatistics
Background:
- Tracking of blood pressure (BP) in children is crucial for predicting future cardiovascular risk.
- Previous studies have explored BP tracking, but quantitative methods require further validation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively assess systolic blood pressure (SBP) tracking in a cohort of Japanese children.
- To evaluate the utility of the Tracking Index (TI) for measuring SBP tracking phenomena.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 1009 Japanese children (aged 6-15) was followed across five cohorts (C-1 to C-5) with varying follow-up periods.
- Systolic blood pressure was measured using conventional methods.
- The Tracking Index (TI) was calculated to quantify SBP tracking, with TI=1.0 indicating random SBP changes.
Main Results:
- Significant SBP tracking was observed in multiple cohorts and both sexes, with TI values ranging from 2.4 to 4.1.
- TI values correlated well with visual representations of tracking phenomena (distribution bar graphs).
- The TI demonstrated its capability to quantitatively assess BP tracking.
Conclusions:
- The Tracking Index (TI) provides a reliable quantitative measure for assessing blood pressure tracking.
- SBP tracking is evident in Japanese children from early childhood through adolescence.
- The TI can be applied to analyze BP tracking and related factors in pediatric populations.
Abstract:
The tracking of systolic blood pressure (SBP) was analyzed in a cohort of children. The study population consisted of 1009 Japanese children in Izumo City, a rural community in the northwest of Honshu. There were 252 subjects in cohort (C)-1, 235 in C-2, 286 in C-3, 131 in C-4 and 105 in C-5. Follow-up periods were from 6 to 9 years of age in C-1, 9 to 12 in C-2, 12 to 15 in C-3, 6 to 12 in C-4 and 9 to 15 in C-5. BP was measured by conventional method. Tracking index (TI) was calculated as follows: TI = (2x + y - z)/N/.24; x, y and z are numbers of subjects who remained at the same quintile, who moved to the next quintile and who moved to a remote quintile, respectively; N = x + y + z; TI becomes 1.0 when SBP changes randomly. SBP tracking was apparent in both sexes of C-1 (TI = 2.4 in boys, 2.5 in girls), in girls of C-2 (TI = 3.5), in both sexes of C-3 (TI = 3.2 in boys, 2.7 in girls) and in girls of C-4 (TI = 4.1) and C-5 (TI = 3.3). TI agreed well with the tracking phenomena visualized by distribution bar graph. We conclude that TI can assess the degree of tracking quantitatively and can be applied to analysis of the tracking phenomena of BP and its related factors.