[Echocardiography studies of children and adolescents with primary hypertension]

We evaluated 100 schoolboys and schoolgirls whose blood pressure levels were above the 90th percentile. To determine whether in childhood left ventricular hypertrophy can be induced by pressure overload, we measured the thickness of the interventricular septum and posterior wall of the left ventricle and calculated the left ventricular muscle mass. Compared with a normotensive control group the thickness of the septum and posterior wall was significantly higher in children with elevated blood pressure. The normal range of the wall thickness was not exceeded. Furthermore, the left ventricular muscle mass differs between the two groups. 13 per cent of the hypertensive children had a greater ventricular mass than two standard-deviations from the normotensive group. This signifies an adaptation to the haemodynamic effect on the increased blood pressure.