Health
Borderline high blood pressure predicts hypertension in teens
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Aug. 18, 2008
Teens whose blood pressure readings indicate they are prehypertensive are at increased risk of having their numbers go dangerously high, according to a paper published in the August Pediatrics.
Researchers analyzed data on 8,533 teens ages 13 to 15 from the National Childhood Blood Pressure database. Two years after an initial prehypertensive reading, 14% of boys and 12% of girls had high blood pressure. For those whose first reading indicated hypertension, 31% of boys and 26% of girls still had high numbers. Race did not affect whether blood pressure changed, but body mass index did. The authors are calling for preventive interventions, particularly those focusing on lifestyle.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/08/18/hlbf0818.htm.
