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Hypertension screening in the follow-up of premature infants
Insights
Premature infants may be at risk for developing hypertension. This study screened infants after intensive care, identifying hypertension in 8.9% and finding specific causes in some cases.
Area of Science:
- Neonatology
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Premature infants often require intensive care.
- Hypertension in premature infants post-discharge is not well-studied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report results of hypertension screening in premature infants.
- To assess the incidence of hypertension in this population.
Main Methods:
- Systolic blood pressure (BP) was measured using Doppler technique in 79/99 premature infants post-intensive care.
- Hypertension was defined as BP > 113 mm Hg on three separate occasions.
Main Results:
- Mean BP was 99.3 mm Hg at a mean corrected age of 7.4 weeks.
- Seven infants (8.9%) were identified as hypertensive.
- Three hypertensive infants had treatable causes: neuroblastoma, coarctation of the aorta, and ureteropelvic junction obstruction.
Conclusions:
- Premature infants may be at risk for developing hypertension.
- Hypertension screening could be a valuable component of neonatal follow-up programs.
Abstract:
Results of hypertension screening using the Doppler technique in a group of premature infants following discharge from an intensive care nursery are reported. Systolic blood pressure (BP) was measured at follow-up in 79/99 premature infants who were cared for in the special care nursery over a 9-month period. The mean BP was 99.3 +/- 2.0 (SEM) mm Hg at a mean age of 14.7 +/- 1.3 weeks; mean age corrected for 40 weeks of gestation was 7.4 +/- 1.3 weeks. Seven infants (8.9%) with BP greater than 113 on three separate occasions were identified as hypertensive. Three of these hypertensive infants were found to have a specific etiology requiring treatment: neuroblastoma, coarctation of the aorta, and unilateral ureteropelvic junction obstruction. No difference was found between the hypertensive and normotensive infants for a variety of perinatal and neonatal factors, including the presence or duration of an umbilical arterial catheter. These data suggest that the premature infant may be at risk for the development of hypertension. In the future, neonatal follow-up programs may find hypertension screening a useful part of their evaluation.