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Hypertension has become a serious global public health burden because of its high incidence and concomitant risk of cardiovascular disease. Many studies have verified that risk factors, such as hypertension and obesity which are responsible for cardiovascular disease, start in early childhood. In Asian countries, the prevalence of hypertension in the pediatric age group has become more prevalent than ever before with the increasing obesity epidemic. To tackle the epidemic of cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death and disability of non-communicable diseases in Asian countries, population-based measures aiming at reducing harmful environmental factors to blood pressure and body weight must be applied to individuals in their early childhood, as early as the fetal stage. This review focused on the prevalence of pediatric hypertension in Asian countries and outlined several considerations for accurate blood pressure (BP) measurement and evaluation, along with an overview of pathophysiology of fetal programming and obesity related with childhood hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neonatal period is a time of extensive hemodynamic changes. It is expected that these changes are most prominent in premature infants during the first week of life. The aim of this study was to examine arterial blood pressure (BP) measured by an oscillometric device in the first month of life in a stable premature population admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and to evaluate the influence of gestational age, postnatal age, birth weight, gender, and sleep state on BP. This prospective study was conducted over 27 months. The study population consisted of 373 hemodynamically stable infants (292 preterm and 81 full-term infants). Overall 12,552 BP measurements were carried out using a non-invasive oscillometric blood pressure monitor. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure progressively increased during the first month of life. BP increased more rapidly in preterm infants than in full-term infants, and was higher in groups with higher birth weight. Multiple regression analysis showed that mean BP during the first week and on the 30th day increased with gestational age, and also that it was higher in the awake than in the sleep state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously reported blood pressure (BP) readings obtained by the Dinamap (DIN) (Model 8100) were 10 mmHg higher than those obtained by auscultatory methods and thus were not interchangeable. DIN BP data on 7208 schoolchildren ages 5 to 17 were analyzed to generate normative DIN BP standards and to examine the rational for presenting BP standards according to age and height percentiles. Three BP measurements were taken in the sitting position using a BP cuff width 40% to 50% of the circumference of the arm. Boys’ systolic pressures (SP) were significantly ( p < 0.05) greater (up to 11 mmHg) than those of the girls in subjects age 13 to 17 years. SP levels were most closely correlated with weight ( r = 0.595), followed by height ( r = 0.560) and age ( r = 0.518). When BP levels were adjusted for age and weight, the correlation coefficient of DIN SP with height was negligible ( r = 0.026 for boys; r = 0.085 for girls), whereas when adjusted for age and height, the correlation of SP with weight remained high ( r = 0.303 for boys; r = 0.216 for girls), indicating that height is not an important independent predictor of BP levels. In conclusion, Dinamap-specific BP standards presented in this report are the only standards that have been generated according to the current BP guidelines recommended by national committees. We found no rational for presenting BP standards according to age and height percentiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was done to validate the use of automated devices (Datascope Duo) as a screening tool for measuring blood pressure. A cross sectional study was conducted in school children from urban slums of Bangalore. Blood pressure was recorded according to standard guidelines using a mercury sphygmomanometer and an automated device (Datascope Duo). The readings obtained using the two instruments were compared. One thousand four hundred eighty nine school children, both males and females, aged 5-16 y were included in the study. Readings with the Datascope Duo varied significantly when compared to the gold standard. The blood pressure measurements using Datascope Duo cannot be recommended as an accurate substitute for manual readings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]