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Hypertension has been recognized for many years as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In adults, the definition of hypertension is based on a cutoff value that establishes an increase in cardiovascular events and death. This cutoff value has been defined as > 140 mm Hg for systolic blood pressure and > 90 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure. In the case of pediatric patients, organ damage is generally manifested as left ventricular hypertrophy and increases in the carotid intima media thickness. The complications observed in adult population, such as cerebral vascular accidents, kidney failure and ischemic myocardiopathy, are less frequent in children. In adolescents and children, the definition of hypertension is based in the distribution of systolic and/or diastolic blood pressures according to age, height and gender, not on an absolute cutoff value. In the United States of America, hypertension is defined as systolic or diastolic blood pressures > the 95th percentile for the age, gender and height of the child. Pre-hypertension is defined for pressures between the 90th and 95th percentiles. In Great Britain, hypertension is defined as systolic or diastolic blood pressures > the 98th percentile. In Europe and Asia, the published reference blood pressure values for the pediatric population are slightly different than the American values.

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2011-05-09   |   506 visitas   |   Evalua este artículo 0 valoraciones

Vol. 62 Núm.5. Septiembre-Octubre 2010 Pags. 393-395 Rev Invest Clin 2010; 62(5-ENGLISH)